What was the formal agreement signed to end Japan’s participation in World War II?

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the formal agreement that ended Japan’s participation in World War II.

Representatives of the Japanese government and Imperial General Headquarters signed the document on September 2, 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The instrument accepted the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and formally capitulated Japan to the Allied powers.

The document was signed by Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu on behalf of the Japanese government and General Yoshijirō Umezu on behalf of Imperial General Headquarters. Allied representatives, including Douglas MacArthur and Chester W. Nimitz, then signed for the victorious powers.

The Instrument of Surrender is sometimes confused with the Potsdam Declaration. The declaration was an Allied demand issued on July 26, 1945; the instrument was the later document through which Japan formally accepted the surrender terms. The ceremony lasted 23 minutes, and the instrument took effect at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time.