Japan signed its formal World War II surrender aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.
The ceremony took place on the battleship’s deck in Tokyo Bay, where representatives of Japan and nine Allied governments signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. USS Missouri had entered service with the U.S. Navy in 1944 and was the newest battleship of its class.
The ship was chosen partly because it was available near Japan and because General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, selected it as the ceremony site. The event ended the war formally, although Japan had announced its decision to surrender by radio on August 15.
USS Missouri later served in the Korean War and is preserved as a museum ship at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It is often called the “Mighty Mo,” and visitors can stand near the deck location where the surrender document was signed.