What document formally recorded Japan’s surrender to the Allied powers on September 2, 1945?

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender formally recorded Japan’s surrender to the Allied powers on September 2, 1945. The document was signed aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay and brought World War II’s hostilities with Japan to an official close.

The instrument stated that Japan accepted the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and ordered Japanese forces to cease resistance. Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the Japanese government, followed by General Yoshijirō Umezu for Imperial General Headquarters. Allied representatives then signed for their respective governments.

The Instrument of Surrender is often confused with the Potsdam Declaration. The declaration, issued on July 26, 1945, demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and warned of destruction if it refused. The later instrument was the document that implemented Japan’s acceptance. The Treaty of San Francisco, signed in 1951 and effective in 1952, was a separate postwar peace treaty.