Talk:Japanese Instrument of Surrender

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The Japanese Instrument of Surrender is a written agreement that was signed on the deck of the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. It formalized the surrender of Japan and marked the end of hostilities in World War II. The agreement was signed on behalf of Emperor Hirohito by Japanese foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, and on behalf of the Japanese armed forces by General Yoshijirō Umezu, Chief of the Army General Staff. It was then signed by representatives from the Allied nations: the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. This image shows the Allied copy of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which is now housed in the United States National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

Document credit: United States Department of War; restored by Lise Broer

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Why was it signed aboard ship?

The article says it was signed on a ship in Tokyo Bay, but it fails to explain, why there and not in Tokyo itself? I realise I could just ask ChatGPT, but this is information that should appear in the lead. 2001:BB6:4756:DF58:8D5D:9975:C06A:3003 (talk) 10:32, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Source of parchment again

Sauerborn, Francis X. (December 1946). "Shinto Sunset". The Catholic Digest. 11 (2): 10.

The surrender of Japan was written on parchment obtained from the Divine Word missionaries’ school at Manila.

The above is not a reliable source, but might be a pointer to one. I can't tell whether the mentioned school is one of those in {{SVD Schools}} or List of schools run by the Society of the Divine Word in the Philippines; perhaps Christ the King Mission Seminary? jnestorius^(talk) 14:10, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Here's another source:

At first no paper could be found suitable for printing the instrument of surrender, but in the basement of the Catholic Trade School were just enough sheets of rich, heavy parchment.

— "THE SURRENDER: Onto the Sacred Soil". Time. 3 September 1945. Retrieved 2 September 2025.

jnestorius^(talk) 20:51, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

No seals?

The seal used to sign the 1858 Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the Tokugawa Shogunate (Japan) and the United States of America

It's notable to me that the Japanese and Chinese signatures are pen-on-paper representations of the individuals, not a seal. Compare to the image here, the signature on the Japan-United States Treaty of Amity and Commerce. Is there a reason for this that is not explained in the article? ☆ Bri (talk) 15:38, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

p.s. Apparently ditto for the 1951 Security Treaty between the United States and Japan, but the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan does have a seal. ☆ Bri (talk) 16:03, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Timestamps

At least this article, unlike the VJ Day article I linked here from, has timestamps for the beginning and ending of the signing ceremony.

But surely we know whether those are JST or some other timezone, and surely we should say, right?
-- baylink@en.wp (Baylink (talk) 19:58, 2 September 2025 (UTC))

What happened after the signing ceremony?

After the documents were signed, what happened? e.g. were there closing remarks? Military honors? Any additional pageantry? And what happened to the Japanese delegation? Were they sailed back to a Japanese ship or to Tokyo or some rendezvous? ProfessorTom (talk) 09:22, 11 December 2025 (UTC)