On what warship did Japan formally sign its surrender on 2 September 1945?

Japan formally signed its surrender aboard the USS Missouri on 2 September 1945.

The ceremony took place on the battleship’s deck in Tokyo Bay, near the Japanese capital. The Missouri represented American naval power and had entered service in 1944. Its location made the signing both a military event and a powerful symbol of Japan’s defeat.

Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu signed for Japan. General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender for the Allied powers, followed by representatives from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

The USS Missouri is sometimes confused with other famous American battleships, especially the USS Iowa, the lead ship of its class. The Missouri’s role in the surrender ceremony made it one of the best-known naval vessels in modern history. The ship is preserved today as a museum in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.