When did the Treaty of San Francisco ending Japan’s legal state of war take effect?

The Treaty of San Francisco ending Japan’s legal state of war took effect on April 28, 1952.

The treaty, formally called the Treaty of Peace with Japan, was signed in San Francisco on September 8, 1951. It restored Japan’s sovereignty, ended the Allied occupation, and re-established peaceful relations between Japan and many Allied nations.

This date is different from September 2, 1945, when Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender and ended wartime hostilities. The surrender ended the fighting, while the San Francisco treaty addressed the legal and diplomatic consequences of the war.

Forty-nine nations signed the treaty, although several states, including the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China, were not both represented because of disagreements over which government represented China. The treaty became part of the postwar international settlement in Asia.