Japan’s formal World War II surrender ceremony took place aboard USS Missouri on 2 September 1945.
The ceremony was held on the battleship’s deck in Tokyo Bay, near the Japanese capital. Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender there, formally ending hostilities between Japan and the Allied powers. The ship was chosen partly because it was a powerful American battleship and partly because it represented the United States in the Pacific war.
General Douglas MacArthur presided as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu signed first, followed by representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
The Missouri remained associated with the event for decades. A brass plaque marks the place on the deck where the document was signed. The ceremony is sometimes confused with the earlier 15 August announcement, but the Missouri event was the formal signing.