World War II in the Pacific theater ended with the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. The surrender was signed in Tokyo Bay aboard the American battleship USS "Missouri." Foreign Minister Shigemitsu headed the Japanese delegation. General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender on behalf of the Allies. Admiral Nimitz signed for the US and Admiral Fraser for Britain. Representatives of all the Allied nations attended the signing.
[Representatives board the "USS Missouri"] We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers, to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored. It is my earnest hope, and indeed the hope of all mankind that, from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past. A world founded upon faith and understanding. [Signing of the surrender documents] Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.
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