Matthew Perry’s flag was displayed at Japan’s surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri.
The flag had been carried by Commodore Matthew C. Perry during his 1853–1854 expedition to Japan. Perry’s mission helped force the opening of Japanese ports to American trade and led to the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.
Displaying the flag in Tokyo Bay created a deliberate historical connection between two moments in U.S.–Japan relations. Perry’s expedition had opened Japan to sustained contact with the United States; the 1945 ceremony marked Japan’s defeat and the beginning of the Allied occupation.
The flag was a fragile 31-star U.S. flag and was displayed with its reverse side visible because of its position and protective backing. It is now preserved at the United States Naval Academy Museum, while a replica is displayed at the Battleship Missouri Memorial.