Whose 1853–54 expedition flag was displayed at Japan's surrender ceremony?

Commodore Matthew Perry’s 1853–54 expedition flag was displayed at Japan’s surrender ceremony.

The flag was brought from the United States Naval Academy Museum and displayed aboard USS Missouri during the September 2, 1945, signing ceremony. Perry had led the United States Navy’s East Asia Squadron when it pressured Japan to open its ports to foreign trade.

The flag created a deliberate historical link between the surrender ceremony and an earlier American naval encounter with Japan. Missouri was anchored near the area of Tokyo Bay where Perry’s ships had anchored roughly 92 years earlier.

A common mix-up says the flag had flown over the White House on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. The flag displayed at the ceremony was instead associated with Perry’s expedition. Because the fragile 31-star flag was shown from the reverse side, photographs can also make its arrangement look incorrect. The original remains at the Naval Academy Museum, while a replica is displayed at the Battleship Missouri Memorial.