On what date did Japan’s surrender document get signed aboard USS Missouri?

Japan’s surrender document was signed aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.

The ceremony took place on the battleship’s deck in Tokyo Bay shortly after 9 a.m. Japan Standard Time. Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, followed by representatives of the Allied powers. The document formalized Japan’s capitulation and brought World War II to an official close.

The signing came more than two weeks after Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio announcement on August 15. That earlier announcement told the Japanese public that the government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration, but the legal and ceremonial surrender still required a formal instrument.

The distinction between announcement and signing causes frequent confusion. August 15 is widely remembered as V-J Day in Japan and many Allied countries, while September 2 is the date of the official signing. The ceremony ended at approximately 9:25 a.m., after General Douglas MacArthur and the other Allied signatories completed the proceedings.