Japan's formal surrender on 2 September 1945 ended World War II, concluding the deadliest conflict in human history.
Key Facts
- Formal surrender date
- 2 September 1945
- Surrender announced by
- Emperor Hirohito, 15 August 1945
- Ceremony location
- USS Missouri, Tokyo Bay
- Hiroshima atomic bomb
- 6 August 1945, 8:15 am local time
- Nagasaki atomic bomb
- 9 August 1945
- State of war formally ended
- 28 April 1952, Treaty of San Francisco
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
By late July 1945, Japan's navy was incapacitated and an Allied invasion loomed. The United States detonated atomic bombs over Hiroshima on 6 August and Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on 8 August and invaded Manchuria, eliminating Japan's hope for Soviet mediation and leaving its leadership without viable military or diplomatic options.
Emperor Hirohito ordered Japan's Supreme Council to accept the Potsdam Declaration's terms. After a failed military coup by hardliners, Hirohito delivered a recorded radio address on 15 August 1945 announcing the surrender. On 2 September 1945, Japanese government officials signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, formally ending hostilities with the Allied powers.
Allied forces began occupying Japan on 28 August 1945, led by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. V-J Day was celebrated worldwide. Some isolated Japanese personnel refused to surrender for years, a few persisting into the 1970s. The Treaty of San Francisco, effective 28 April 1952, formally ended the state of war, while Japan and the Soviet Union normalised relations through the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
4 belligerents
Harry S. Truman.
Side B
1 belligerent
Emperor Hirohito.