What was the name of the Japanese document signed at the end of World War II in 1945?

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the document signed at the end of World War II in 1945.

Representatives of Japan and the Allied powers signed the instrument aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. It recorded Japan’s unconditional surrender and required Japanese forces to cease hostilities and obey the orders of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.

Mamoru Shigemitsu signed first for the Japanese government, followed by General Yoshijirō Umezu for Imperial General Headquarters. General Douglas MacArthur then signed for the Allied powers, followed by representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

The instrument is not the same document as the Potsdam Declaration. The declaration stated Allied demands in July 1945; Japan’s acceptance of those terms led to the surrender process. The instrument itself was the formal capitulation document signed aboard the battleship.