On what date was Japan’s World War II surrender ceremony held in Nanjing, China?

Japan’s World War II surrender ceremony in Nanjing, China, was held on 9 September 1945. It formally ended Japanese military operations in China after the broader surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay on 2 September.

The Nanjing ceremony took place at the auditorium of the Central Army Military Academy. General Yasuji Okamura, commander-in-chief of the Japanese Expeditionary Force in China, signed the surrender document for Japan. General He Yingqin represented the Allied side and accepted the surrender.

The event is sometimes confused with the ceremony aboard USS Missouri. That earlier ceremony formally ended Japan’s war with the Allied powers on 2 September, while Nanjing was a regional surrender covering Japanese forces in China. The Nanjing event was scheduled for 5 September but was postponed four days.

The ceremony lasted about 15 minutes and began at 9:00 a.m. local time. A later ceremony in Beijing on 10 October 1945 covered the surrender of 47 former Japanese army divisions to Chinese authorities and Allied representatives.