The last major Japanese surrender of World War II in Asia took place in Taiwan.
Japanese forces in Taiwan formally surrendered to representatives of Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government on October 25, 1945. The date is remembered in Taiwan as Retrocession Day, although its later political meaning became contested after the Chinese Civil War and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
Japan’s main surrender had already been signed aboard USS Missouri on September 2. However, Japanese forces remained stationed across a wide area of Asia and the Pacific, so separate local surrender ceremonies continued for weeks. Major ceremonies also occurred in places such as Singapore, the Philippines, and parts of China.
The Taiwan ceremony therefore did not replace the September 2 surrender. It marked the transfer and surrender of Japanese forces in that territory, making it the final major surrender ceremony in the Asian theater.