Also known as the Treaty of Peace with Japan, it formally ended the state of war between Japan and most of the Allied powers, terminated the Allied occupation, restored Japan’s sovereignty, and established provisions concerning compensation and other postwar settlements. The treaty was signed by forty-nine countries on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco and entered into force on April 28, 1952. China was not invited because of disagreement over whether the Republic of China or the People’s Republic of China represented the Chinese people. Korea was also excluded amid disagreement over whether South Korea or North Korea represented the Korean people. Italy was likewise not a signatory. As the Cold War intensified, the treaty increasingly reflected anti-communist strategic priorities rather than a comprehensive effort to hold Japan accountable for its wartime aggression. Consequently, several countries that had suffered directly from Japanese invasion and colonial rule were excluded from the negotiations and signing. The treaty also failed to establish a thorough settlement of Japan’s responsibility to provide reparations for war crimes and colonial rule.