On what date was Japan’s formal World War II surrender ceremony held for V-J Day?

Japan’s formal World War II surrender ceremony for V-J Day was held on September 2, 1945.

The ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, formally accepting the Allied terms and ending the war. The signing began shortly after 9 a.m. Japan Standard Time and concluded at 9:25 a.m.

The date can be confused with August 15, which is the day Emperor Hirohito’s surrender announcement was broadcast to the Japanese public. In the United States, V-J Day was widely celebrated after the surrender announcement on August 14, because of the time difference. September 2 marked the legal and ceremonial completion of the surrender.

The ceremony followed the Allied victory in Europe earlier in 1945 and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan’s surrender also followed the Soviet declaration of war against Japan and invasion of Japanese-held territory in northeast Asia.