Japan's formal World War II surrender was signed aboard the USS Missouri.
The ceremony took place on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay. The Missouri was an Iowa-class battleship commissioned by the United States Navy in June 1944. Its location made it a powerful and highly visible setting for the final act of the Pacific War.
General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers. Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu signed for Japan, followed by representatives of the Allied nations. The ceremony took place on the ship's deck, where a bronze plaque later marked the signing location.
The Missouri is sometimes confused with other famous American battleships, especially USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, and USS Wisconsin, because all four belonged to the same Iowa class. The Missouri later served in the Korean War and the Gulf War before becoming a museum ship at Pearl Harbor.