Japan’s World War II surrender was formally signed on September 2, 1945, marking the official V-J Day date in the United States.
The ceremony took place aboard the American battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, accepting the Allied terms and ending hostilities in the Pacific theater. The document took effect at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time.
The date can be confused with August 15, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender announcement was broadcast to the Japanese public. August 15 is commonly treated as V-J Day in Japan and the United Kingdom, while the United States formally observed September 2 because that was the date of the signed instrument.
The signing followed Germany’s surrender in May 1945. Together, the two surrender ceremonies ended World War II, although fighting and isolated Japanese resistance continued in some parts of Asia and the Pacific for a time afterward.