The Japanese Instrument of Surrender took effect at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time on September 2, 1945.
The ceremony aboard USS Missouri began shortly after 9:00 a.m. in Tokyo Bay. Japanese representatives signed first, followed by General Douglas MacArthur for the Allied Powers and representatives of the other Allied nations.
The document’s effective time came after the signatures had been completed. This precise time is different from the ceremony’s opening at 9:02 a.m. and from the 9:08 a.m. moment when MacArthur signed. Those nearby times are often confused in summaries of the event.
The effective time marked the formal end of hostilities between Japan and the Allied Powers in World War II. Fighting and local surrender arrangements continued in some areas afterward, but the central surrender document had entered into force.