In the 1945 V-J Day observances marking Japan’s defeat, what does “V-J” stand for?

In the 1945 V-J Day observances marking Japan’s defeat, “V-J” stands for Victory over Japan.

The abbreviation mirrored “V-E,” or Victory in Europe, which was used after Nazi Germany surrendered in May 1945. In the United States, newspapers and government announcements commonly used V-J Day for the victory marking Japan’s acceptance of Allied surrender terms.

The term can refer to more than one date. President Harry S. Truman announced Japan’s surrender to the American public on August 14, 1945, while Emperor Hirohito’s recorded address was broadcast in Japan on August 15. The formal signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender occurred aboard USS Missouri on September 2.

This produces a common date mix-up: August 14 or 15 is often called V-J Day, depending on time zone and national convention, while September 2 marks the formal ceremony. “Victory over Japan” identifies the letters without choosing between those calendar conventions.