Japanese representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. The ceremony took place on the deck of USS Missouri, which was anchored off Japan’s capital.
The location placed the ceremony close to the country that had directed the war while allowing the Allied fleet to remain nearby. Around 250 Allied ships were in the area, including vessels from several nations. General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers.
Tokyo Bay is sometimes confused with other major Pacific locations, especially Pearl Harbor, where Japan attacked the United States in December 1941, and Manila Bay, an important site in the Philippines campaign. The ceremony’s setting was specifically Tokyo Bay, and the signed document made the surrender legally formal.