In the United States, the initial announcement of Japan's surrender came on 14 August 1945. Because of time-zone differences, the same announcement was heard in Japan on 15 August.
President Harry Truman announced that Japan had accepted the Allied terms after the Japanese government sent its acceptance to the Allies. Newspapers and crowds in the United States quickly treated the announcement as V-J Day, short for Victory over Japan Day.
The date can be confusing because V-J Day has been used for more than one milestone. The announcement date was 14 August in the United States and 15 August in Japan and the United Kingdom. The formal surrender ceremony took place later, on 2 September, aboard the USS Missouri.
The distinction matters because Japan's surrender unfolded across several time zones and stages. The emperor's recorded broadcast was transmitted in Japan on 15 August, while the legal instrument that formally ended hostilities was signed on 2 September.