What document did Japan sign on September 2, 1945, to formalize its surrender?

Japan signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on September 2, 1945, to formalize its capitulation and end World War II. The document was signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

The instrument stated that Japan accepted the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and ordered Japanese forces to cease hostilities. It also required Japanese military commanders and forces to surrender wherever they were located. Two versions were signed: an Allied copy and a Japanese copy.

Mamoru Shigemitsu signed on behalf of the Japanese government, followed by General Yoshijiro Umezu for Imperial General Headquarters. General Douglas MacArthur signed for the Allied powers, followed by representatives from nine Allied nations.

The Instrument of Surrender is not the same document as the later Treaty of San Francisco. The 1951 treaty, which took effect in 1952, formally ended the state of war between Japan and many Allied countries and established postwar arrangements. The 1945 instrument instead recorded the immediate military surrender.