In Japan, V-J Day was first marked on 15 August 1945, after Hirohito's surrender broadcast. The Emperor's recorded message was transmitted at noon Japan Standard Time and announced that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.
The date can cause confusion because time zones meant the announcement was heard on 14 August in the United States and some other parts of the Pacific. The formal surrender ceremony occurred later, on 2 September 1945, so some countries use that date for their official V-J Day commemoration.
Hirohito's speech was known as the Gyokuon-hōsō, or Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War. It was unusual because it was the first time many Japanese civilians had heard the Emperor's voice. The recording used formal classical Japanese and had poor sound quality, making the message difficult for many listeners to understand.
Japan's surrender followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war, and intense debate within Japan's leadership.