Victory in Japan: 75th Anniversary of the End of WWII

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 – Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Online

Japan Surrenders

World War II, the bloodiest conflict in history, came to an end in a 27-minute ceremony on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, six years and one day after the war erupted in Europe. On that September morning in 1945, Japanese officials signed a formal instrument of surrender that ended hostilities in the Pacific theater and proclaimed “the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and of all Japanese armed forces and all armed forces under Japanese control wherever situated.”

Japan’s surrender brought an end to World War II, but not an end to global conflict. In the decades that followed, many world events were influenced, at least in part, by the political, social and economic repercussions of the war.

Instrument of Surrender

On September 2, 1945, Japanese representatives signed this official Instrument of Surrender, which set out the complete capitulation of Japan. Signing for Japan was Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu, Chief of the Army General Staff. General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in the Southwest Pacific, signed for the United States and accepted the surrender in his capacity as the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz also signed for the United States. Eight representatives from other Allied nations also signed, including the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union.

National Archives, Records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff

Imperial Japanese Rescript

Due to the importance of the Imperial role in Japan, Emperor Hirohito issued this imperial rescript to facilitate the surrender of Japanese forces in all parts of the Pacific and mainland Asia on September 2, 1945. The Emperor’s proclamation called upon the Japanese people to comply with the terms of surrender. To ensure military and civilian compliance with the surrender, it was countersigned by the Japanese Prime Minister and the entire Japanese cabinet to emphasize their submission to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.

National Archives, Records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff

This Featured Document display is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation, through the generous support of the Ford Motor Company Fund.

Past Featured Records

The War Beneath the Waves: Mary Sears and the Navy’s Oceanographic Unit
During World War II, navigating the Pacific Ocean's perilous tides and currents posed a constant challenge to the U.S. Navy. To update their maps and intelligence, the Navy established an Oceanographic Unit in 1943. The team of scientists was led by Mary Sears, a marine biologist commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade in the women’s division of the Naval Reserve, the WAVES.
Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records
After the Civil War, the federal government established a War Department agency to help Americans transition from slavery to freedom. The Freedmen’s Bureau (1865–72) issued rations, operated hospitals and helped establish schools and unite families. It worked to resolve labor disputes and negotiate labor contracts. It also presided over and documented marriages between freed couples.
20th Amendment: A New Inauguration Day
From George Washington’s second term through Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first, inauguration day was generally held on March 4. Without cars or computers, the four months between the election and inauguration served a purpose in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It allowed the President-elect time to settle their affairs and journey to the nation’s capital.
Mr. Santa Claus: Romance of the Postal Service
This holiday featured film is one of a series of silent movies produced by the Post Office Department in 1921. The mini melodrama shows how the postal service helps make a happy Christmas for a boy and his sister when their “Dere Sandy Claws” letter is answered by a young married couple.
Bring Them Home, Uncle Sam
Many Americans sought to honor the returning service members with patriotic greetings at the dock, parades to welcome them home, and memorials to honor their service. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919, as Armistice Day, creating an annual day to honor those who brought about the end of the “Great War.” Two decades later, America would find itself embroiled in World War II and then in the Korean War, with many more soldiers deserving of honor. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower rededicated Armistice Day as Veterans Day to honor all of America’s veterans for their service and sacrifice.