What document formally recorded Japan’s surrender to the Allied powers in World War II?

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender formally recorded Japan’s surrender to the Allied powers in World War II.

Representatives signed the document aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. It stated that Japan accepted the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and directed the Japanese government and armed forces to cease hostilities and surrender.

The document was signed by Japanese representatives first, including Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijirō Umezu. Allied representatives then signed for their governments. General Douglas MacArthur signed for the Allied powers, while Admiral Chester Nimitz signed for the United States.

The Instrument of Surrender was not the same thing as the later peace treaty. The 1951 Treaty of San Francisco formally ended the state of war between Japan and many Allied countries and established postwar diplomatic arrangements. The 1945 instrument instead documented the immediate capitulation and ended the active military conflict.