Which ship hosted the formal signing of Japan's surrender in World War II?

The formal signing of Japan's surrender in World War II took place aboard USS Missouri. The ceremony was held on 2 September 1945 in Tokyo Bay, shortly after 9 a.m. Japan Standard Time. Representatives of Japan and the Allied powers signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on the battleship's deck.

USS Missouri was an Iowa-class battleship commissioned by the United States Navy in June 1944. Its large deck provided a highly visible setting for the ceremony, which was attended by representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

The ship is sometimes confused with USS Arizona because Arizona is strongly associated with the Pacific War through the attack on Pearl Harbor. Arizona, however, had been sunk at Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Missouri survived the war and later became a museum ship at Pearl Harbor, where the surrender site is marked on its deck.