Which treaty, signed in 1951, formally ended the state of war between Japan and most Allied countries?

The Treaty of San Francisco, signed in 1951, formally ended the state of war between Japan and most Allied countries.

The treaty was signed in San Francisco on September 8, 1951, by Japan and 48 Allied nations. It came into force on April 28, 1952, ending the Allied occupation and restoring Japan’s sovereignty. The agreement also required Japan to renounce claims to territories acquired through its wartime expansion.

This treaty is separate from the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The surrender document, signed on September 2, 1945, ended active hostilities and established the framework for Allied control. The San Francisco treaty created the formal postwar peace settlement years later.

The Soviet Union attended the conference but did not sign the treaty. Several countries, including China, were not represented in the same way because of competing claims over which government represented China. Consequently, Japan’s postwar legal relationships were also shaped by separate bilateral treaties, including the 1951 U.S.–Japan Security Treaty.