What document formally recorded Japan’s surrender in World War II on September 2, 1945?

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender formally recorded Japan’s surrender in World War II on September 2, 1945.

The document set out Japan’s acceptance of the terms announced by the Allied powers and formally ended hostilities between Japan and the Allies. Japanese representatives signed it aboard the American battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the Japanese government, while General Yoshijiro Umezu signed for Japan’s Imperial General Headquarters. General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender for the Allied powers, followed by representatives of nine Allied nations.

The Instrument of Surrender is sometimes confused with the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded Japan’s surrender in July 1945. The declaration was an ultimatum; the Instrument was the document that recorded Japan’s acceptance and surrender.