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2 September 1945: Japan signs the Instrument of Surrender
On 2 September 1945, Japanese representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The formal signing must be distinguished from the surrender announcement on 15 August.
Facts and evidence
The transcript published by the U.S. National Archives records Mamoru Shigemitsu signing for the Emperor and Japanese government, and Yoshijiro Umezu for Imperial General Headquarters. The instrument accepts the Potsdam Declaration, proclaims the unconditional surrender of the headquarters and all Japanese armed forces and forces under Japanese control, and orders a halt to hostilities. Source 1
The Australian War Memorial’s catalogue of Roy Driver’s actuality film dates the signing aboard Missouri to 2 September 1945. This is a separate on-site record from the instrument; this entry checked the film’s catalogue description. Source 2
Scope and limitations
The signing and the announcement are different events; see 15 August and 2 September compared. An order in the document does not establish that every theatre immediately complied. Signing the instrument is not equated with a later peace treaty entering into force. The film was not examined frame by frame, so no verified timecodes or precise signing minutes are provided.
Sources and locators
- Surrender of Japan (1945) — Instrument of Surrender（U.S. National Archives and Records Administration）
NAID 1752336; Record Group 218, Records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff; instrument pp. 1–2; web Transcript paragraphs 1–3 and signature blocks · Accessed: - Tokyo surrender（Australian War Memorial）
Accession F01272; Maker Driver, Roy; Date made 2 September 1945; Description opening sentence; film duration 7 min 46 sec (catalogue only, no verified timecode) · Accessed: