On what date was Japan’s Instrument of Surrender formally signed in Tokyo Bay in 1945?

Japan’s Instrument of Surrender was formally signed on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay. The ceremony took place aboard the American battleship USS Missouri and legally formalized Japan’s capitulation to the Allied powers.

The date followed Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender announcement on August 15. That broadcast announced Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration, but it was not the same event as the formal signing ceremony. This distinction explains why different countries and sources sometimes identify different dates as V-J Day.

Japanese representatives signed two copies of the document. Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the Japanese government, followed by General Yoshijiro Umezu for Imperial General Headquarters. Allied representatives then signed on behalf of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

The ceremony ended at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time, when the instrument officially took effect. It marked the end of organized hostilities between Japan and the Allied powers in World War II.