Prisoners, Tokyo Bay, and the Japanese surrender

Released British and American prisoners reached Allied ships before the fleet entered Tokyo Bay, revealing the severe effects of captivity and the need for careful medical treatment. The British ships followed USS Missouri past forts that had recently been bombardment targets and anchored near a surrendered Japanese cruiser. On 2 September the Allied delegations assembled aboard Missouri while the Japanese representatives signed the surrender instruments. Wainwright and Percival, newly released from imprisonment, stood beside MacArthur, while Admiral Bruce Fraser signed for Britain with Rawlings and Brind alongside him. The reading makes the surrender a human and coalition event rather than only a diplomatic date.