Japanese Instrument of Surrender
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The Instrument of Surrender of Japan was the armistice ending World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Provisional Government of the French Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Dominion of New Zealand on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, and which thereby ended the Pacific War and with it World War II. The date is sometimes known as Victory over Japan Day, although that designation is more frequently used to refer to the date of Emperor Hirohito's announcement of the acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration on August 15.
The signing ceremony aboard the deck of the Missouri lasted 23 minutes and was broadcast throughout the world. Symbolically, the deck of the Missouri furnished just two American flags. One had flown over the White House on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. The other had flown the mast of Commodore Perry's ship when he had sailed into that same harbor nearly a century before to urge the opening of Japan's ports to foreign trade. The instrument was first signed by the Japanese foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu "By Command and on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government" and then Gen. Yoshijiro Umezu "By Command and on behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters" at 9:04 a.m. Afterwards, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in the Southwest Pacific and Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, also signed. As witnesses, U.S. Lieutenant General Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV, who had surrendered the Philippines, and British Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, who had surrendered Singapore, received two of the six pens he used to sign the instrument. Another pen went to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. MacArthur was followed by Admiral Chester Nimitz for the United States, Hsu Yung-Ch'ang for the Republic of China, Bruce Fraser for the United Kingdom, Kuzma Derevyanko for the Soviet Union, General Sir Thomas Blamey for Australia, Colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave for Canada, General Philippe Leclerc de Hautecloque for France, Admiral C.E.L. Helfrich for the Netherlands, and Leonard M. Isitt for New Zealand.
On September 6, Colonel Bernard Theilen brought the document and an imperial rescript to Washington, D.C. and, on the following day, presented them to President Harry Truman in a formal White House ceremony. The documents were then exhibited at the National Archives.
The document, prepared by the United States War Department, set out in eight short paragraphs the complete capitulation of Japan. The opening words "We, acting by command of and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan" signified the importance attached to the Emperor's role by the Americans who drafted the document. The short second paragraph went straight to the heart of the matter: "We hereby proclaim 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." The document demanded that Japan "carry out the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration", which refers to Cairo Declaration, and free all allied prisoners of war.
Full text
INSTRUMENT OF SURRENDER
We, acting by command of and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan, the Japanese Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, hereby accept the provisions set forth in the declaration issued by the heads of the Governments of the United States, China, and Great Britain on 26 July 1945 at Potsdam, and subsequently adhered to by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which four powers are hereafter referred to as the Allied Powers.
We hereby proclaim the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and of all Japanese armed forces and all armed forces under the Japanese control wherever situated.
We hereby command all Japanese forces wherever situated and the Japanese people to cease hostilities forthwith, to preserve and save from damage all ships, aircraft, and military and civil property and to comply with all requirements which my be imposed by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers or by agencies of the Japanese Government at his direction.
We hereby command the Japanese Imperial Headquarters to issue at once orders to the Commanders of all Japanese forces and all forces under Japanese control wherever situated to surrender unconditionally themselves and all forces under their control.
We hereby command all civil, military and naval officials to obey and enforce all proclamations, and orders and directives deemed by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers to be proper to effectuate this surrender and issued by him or under his authority and we direct all such officials to remain at their posts and to continue to perform their non-combatant duties unless specifically relieved by him or under his authority.
We hereby undertake for the Emperor, the Japanese Government and their successors to carry out the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration in good faith, and to issue whatever orders and take whatever actions may be required by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers or by any other designated representative of the Allied Powers for the purpose of giving effect to that Declaration.
We hereby command the Japanese Imperial Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters at once to liberate all allied prisoners of war and civilian internees now under Japanese control and to provide for their protection, care, maintenance and immediate transportation to places as directed.
The authority of the Emperor and the Japanese Government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers who will take such steps as he deems proper to effectuate these terms of surrender.
Signed at TOKYO BAY, JAPAN at 0904 I on the SECOND day of SEPTEMBER, 1945
MAMORU SHIGEMITSU By Command and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government
YOSHIJIRO UMEZU By Command and in behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters
Accepted at TOKYO BAY, JAPAN at 0903 I on the SECOND day of SEPTEMBER, 1945, for the United States, Republic of China, United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and in the interests of the other United Nations at war with Japan.
DOUGLAS MAC ARTHUR Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers
C.W. NIMITZ United States Representative
HSU YUNG-CH'ANG Republic of China Representative
BRUCE FRASER United Kingdom Representative
KUZMA DEREVYANKO Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Representative
THOMAS BLAMEY Commonwealth of Australia Representative
L. MOORE COSGRAVE Dominion of Canada Representative
JACQUES LE CLERC Provisional Government of the French Republic Representative
C.E.L. HELFRICH Kingdom of the Netherlands Representative
LEONARD M. ISITT Dominion of New Zealand Representative
See also
External links
- [National Archives & Records Administration Featured Document]
- [USS Missouri's Captain Stuart Murray interviewed about the surrender ceremony]
- [Alsos Digital Library bibliography of references on Japan's surrender]
- [Instrument of Surrender (full text)]
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