Which 1951 treaty ended the legal state of war between Japan and the Allied powers?

The Treaty of San Francisco ended the legal state of war between Japan and the Allied powers in 1952.

The treaty, formally called the Treaty of Peace with Japan, was signed in San Francisco on September 8, 1951. Japan and 48 Allied nations participated in the settlement, which addressed sovereignty, territory, reparations, and the end of the Allied occupation.

It entered into force on April 28, 1952. That date ended the occupation of Japan and restored Japan’s full sovereignty, although separate arrangements shaped Japan’s continuing relationship with the United States.

The treaty should not be confused with the 1945 Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The instrument ended wartime hostilities, while the San Francisco treaty created the postwar legal peace settlement. The Soviet Union attended the conference but did not sign the treaty.