Japan announced its surrender on 15 August 1945, according to the local Japanese date.
Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio address was broadcast shortly after noon Japan Standard Time. It told the Japanese people that the government had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and would end the war. The broadcast was the first time many Japanese citizens had heard the emperor’s voice.
The date can cause confusion because international time zones meant the announcement was heard on 14 August in the United States and parts of the Pacific. The formal surrender ceremony did not occur until 2 September 1945, when Japanese representatives signed the surrender document aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Thus, 15 August marks the public announcement in Japan, while 2 September marks the official signing that ended hostilities.