In Japan, the surrender announcement later associated with V-J Day was broadcast on 15 August 1945. Emperor Hirohito’s radio address told the Japanese public that the government had accepted the Allied terms and would end the war.
The broadcast occurred at noon Japan Standard Time and was the first time most Japanese people had heard the emperor’s voice. The announcement referred to the devastating new weapon and the changing military situation without directly using the word “surrender” in the modern conversational sense.
The date can cause confusion because the United States received and celebrated the news on 14 August because of time-zone differences. A separate milestone came on 2 September 1945, when Japanese representatives signed the formal Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
Thus, 15 August marks the public announcement in Japan, while 2 September marks the ceremonial signing that formally ended hostilities.