In Japan, on what date did Emperor Hirohito's 1945 surrender broadcast mark V-J Day?

In Japan, Emperor Hirohito's surrender broadcast marked V-J Day on August 15, 1945.

The recorded announcement was transmitted by Japan's national broadcaster, NHK, at noon Japan Standard Time. Hirohito told listeners that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, although he did not plainly use the everyday word “surrender” in the speech.

The date can cause confusion because the announcement occurred on August 14 in parts of the United States and other Western countries. The formal signing of Japan's surrender took place later, on September 2, 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

V-J Day ended the long Pacific War for the public, while September 2 is the date associated with the legal and ceremonial completion of the surrender. Both dates therefore appear in historical accounts, but August 15 is the Japanese date of the broadcast.