What document did Japan sign aboard USS Missouri to formally end World War II?

Japan signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri to formally end World War II.

The document was a capitulation agreement accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. It required Japan to cease hostilities, disarm its military forces, and accept the authority of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers during the occupation.

Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijirō Umezu signed for Japan. General Douglas MacArthur and representatives of nine Allied nations then signed on behalf of the victorious powers. Two versions were used: one bound in leather for the Allies and another backed with canvas for Japan.

The Instrument of Surrender is different from the Treaty of San Francisco, which was signed in 1951 and formally restored Japan’s sovereignty after the occupation. The 1945 instrument ended the fighting; the later treaty established the postwar peace settlement.