In Japan, Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day) was observed on August 15, 1945, after Emperor Hirohito's surrender broadcast.
Hirohito's recording was broadcast shortly after noon Japan Standard Time. It announced that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, although the formal surrender document had not yet been signed.
The date can cause confusion because the announcement occurred on August 14 in the United States and much of the Americas because of time-zone differences. The formal signing took place later, on September 2, 1945.
Japan officially calls August 15 the Day for the Mourning of War Dead and Praying for Peace. In Britain, August 15 is also the principal V-J Day date, while the United States formally commemorates September 2.