Harry S. Truman announced Japan’s surrender to the American public by radio on 14 August 1945.
Truman’s broadcast reported that Japan had communicated its acceptance of the Allied surrender terms and that a formal signing ceremony would take place on 2 September. The announcement triggered celebrations across the United States, including the famous crowds in New York City’s Times Square.
The date can cause confusion because the announcement occurred on 14 August in the United States but on 15 August in Japan and many other countries because of time zones. Emperor Hirohito’s recorded announcement was broadcast in Japan shortly after noon on 15 August.
The formal surrender was later signed aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. Truman declared that date the official V-J Day in the United States, although 14 and 15 August are also widely commemorated as the announcement dates.