What body of water hosted the 1945 signing of Japan’s surrender?

Tokyo Bay hosted the 1945 signing of Japan’s surrender.

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed aboard USS Missouri, which was anchored in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. The bay provided a location close to Japan’s capital while keeping the ceremony aboard an Allied warship.

The setting also carried historical symbolism. The ship anchored near the area where Commodore Matthew Perry’s American squadron had entered Tokyo Bay in 1853. Perry’s expedition pressured Japan to open its ports after centuries of restricted foreign contact. During the 1945 ceremony, a flag associated with Perry’s expedition was displayed aboard Missouri.

Tokyo Bay was filled with Allied naval forces during the surrender. The ceremony was observed by personnel aboard many ships and by aircraft overhead. Although the event is sometimes described simply as taking place in Tokyo, the formal signing occurred on the water, not in a government building or palace.