V-J Day was observed in Japan on August 15, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito’s radio announcement revealed Japan’s decision to surrender.
The announcement followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war on Japan, and intense debate within Japan’s government and military. Hirohito’s recorded message was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time and stated that Japan would accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.
August 15 is commonly called V-J Day in Japan and several other countries. However, the date is not the same everywhere. In the United States, “V-J Day” has often referred to September 2, the date the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was formally signed aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
The distinction matters because Japan’s public announcement and the legal ceremony were separate events. Fighting and isolated resistance continued in some areas after August 15, while the formal surrender document ended hostilities on September 2.