What was the official document called that formalized Japan’s surrender in World War II?

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the official document that formalized Japan’s surrender in World War II.

Representatives of Japan signed it aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. The document accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and required Japan to cease hostilities and surrender its armed forces.

Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the Emperor and Japanese government, while Yoshijirō Umezu signed for Imperial General Headquarters. General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender on behalf of the Allied powers, followed by representatives of eight other Allied nations.

The instrument is distinct from the Potsdam Declaration. Potsdam was the Allied demand for Japan’s unconditional surrender, issued on 26 July 1945; the Instrument of Surrender was Japan’s formal acceptance. It is also distinct from the later Treaty of San Francisco, which legally ended the Allied occupation and established a postwar peace settlement in 1951.