Stunning restored footage of the Japanese Surrender on the USS Missouri, today 2 Sept. 80 years ago!

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04 Sep 2025

After Germany surrendered on the 8th of May 1945, the US concentrated its military efforts on also ending WW II in Asia. To do so, the American airforce relentlessly bombarded numerous Japanese cities, not in the last place Tokyo.

Hardliners in the Japanese government refused to surrender which made President Truman decide to deploy an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Still the Japanese government did not give in so a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki 3 days later on 9 August 1945.

The US did not have enough plutonium for a third nuclear bomb, but unaware on this fact the Japanese emperor Hirohito on 15 August announced that his country would accept the declaration of the Potsdam conference, thus agreeing with its terms for unconditional surrender.

For the first time ever Hirohito addressed the Japanese population by radio, thus informing them in rather complicated wording that Japan had surrendered.

The 15th of August has gone into history as VJ-day. After president Truman announced that Japan had surrendered hords of people took to the streets to celebrate that the world war was finally over. Servicemen were rejoyced to learn that they finally would be going home to their loved ones. Please watch my separate video about VJ-day.

It took more than two more weeks before the Japanese surrender was formalized by signing the so called "Instrument of Surrender".
A very special location was chosen for the ceremony namely on board the battleship USS Missouri that was mored in Tokyo bay.

Days before Japanese pilots had helped to manouvre the Missouri in position passing the wrecks of many destroyed Japanese naval ships.

The ceremony itself was a rather sober event which took place at a simple table on deck of the Missouri and two chairs at this table.

The USS Missouri, was deliberately chosen as the venue. Its starboard veranda deck was prepared for the historic event. Two American flags were prominently displayed: one was the actual flag flown by Commodore Matthew Perry when he entered Tokyo Bay in 1853 to open Japan to the West.

The starboard Veranda deck was swarming with high ranking American and foreign officers. From the higher decks masses of lower ranking military personnel were observing the proceedings.

The whole surrender proceeding was timed to the minute.

In the early morning, various Allied delegations began to assemble on the Missouri's deck. These included high-ranking army and naval officers from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Shortly before 9:00 AM, the Japanese delegation arrived by launch.

At precisely 09:02 AM, General Douglas MacArthur stepped forward and began the proceedings with a brief, dignified, and somewhat philosophical speech.

At 09:04 AM Mamoru Shigemitsu stepped forward to sign the "Instrument of Surrender" on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government.

At 09:06 AM: General Yoshijiro Umezu then signed the document on behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters.

After the Japanese had signed, the Allied representatives proceeded to place their signatures on both copies of the Instrument of Surrender.

At 09:08 AM General Douglas MacArthur signed as the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Next, the representatives of the nine Allied powers signed in a prescribed order:
* Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz for the USA.
* General Hsu Yung-chang for the Republic of China.
* Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser for the UK.
* Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko for the Soviet Union.
* General Sir Thomas Blamey for Australia.
* Colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave for Canada.
* General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque for France.
* Lieutenant Admiral Conrad E.L. Helfrich for the Netherlands.
* Air Vice Marshal Leonard M. Isitt for New Zealand.

An incident occured, caused by Canadean Colonel Cosgrave signing on the wrong line on the Japanese copy of the Instrument of Surrender. He thus had mistakenly signed on behalf of France.
The Japanese delegation protested arguing that they couldn't take a document back to the Japanese emperor containing such an error.

Fortunately, thanks to swift acting by MacArthur's aide, US General Richard Sutherland, the matter was quickly resolved by manually amending the documents.

With all signatures affixed, signifying Japan's complete and unconditional capitulation, General MacArthur's statement that "these proceedings are closed", he in fact declared that World War II was over.
The whole ceremony took only 23 minutes.
The Japanese delegates left the USS Missouri as swift as they came.

Immediately after the ceremony concluded, a dramatic aerial display of hundreds of Allied aircraft, including many B-29 bombers, thundered overhead.

[Abbreviated description: the full description is under my pinned comment]
Thanks for watching!