Representatives signed Japan’s formal surrender document in Tokyo Bay.
The signing occurred aboard the American battleship USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. Tokyo Bay placed the ceremony close to Japan’s capital while allowing the large Allied naval force gathered offshore to witness the event.
The Japanese delegation included Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijirō Umezu, along with additional military, naval, and diplomatic representatives. Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender for the Allied powers before representatives of the participating Allied governments signed.
Tokyo Bay is sometimes confused with other places connected with the end of the war. Hirohito’s surrender announcement was made from Tokyo, while the Potsdam Declaration had been issued from Potsdam, Germany. The formal document itself, however, was signed at sea in Tokyo Bay.