On what date was Japan's formal World War II surrender signed, creating the main V-J Day date?

Japan's formal World War II surrender was signed on September 2, 1945, creating the main V-J Day date.

The ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender before representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Japan had announced its acceptance of the Allied terms weeks earlier. Emperor Hirohito's radio address was broadcast on August 15 in Japan, and that date is also associated with V-J Day, especially in countries that marked the announcement rather than the legal ceremony. In the United States, President Harry S. Truman designated September 2 as V-J Day.

The signing ceremony lasted about 23 minutes and formally ended hostilities between Japan and the Allied powers. Some Japanese units continued fighting after the ceremony because they had not yet received the order or refused to obey it, but September 2 remains the standard date for Japan's official surrender.