What was the name of the Japanese document signed on September 2, 1945, that formally ended the war with Japan?

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the document signed on September 2, 1945, that formally ended the war with Japan.

The document recorded Japan’s unconditional capitulation to the Allied powers. It was signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay by representatives of Japan, followed by General Douglas MacArthur and representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

The instrument was not the same as the Potsdam Declaration. The declaration, issued on July 26, 1945, stated the Allied terms and demanded Japan’s surrender. Japan’s acceptance was announced by Hirohito on August 15, while the instrument made that surrender formal and legally documented.

The ceremony ended at about 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time. It is often treated as the endpoint of World War II, although fighting, occupation changes, and separate peace agreements continued to shape East Asia afterward.