In World War II, what does “V-J Day” mean?

In World War II, “V-J Day” means Victory over Japan.

The term describes the Allied victory over Imperial Japan and the end of the Pacific War. It is commonly associated with 15 August 1945, when Japan’s acceptance of the Allied surrender terms was announced in Japan. Because of time-zone differences, the announcement occurred on 14 August in the United States and much of the Americas.

The phrase can also refer to 2 September 1945, when Japanese representatives signed the formal surrender document. That signing officially ended the war with Japan, while the earlier announcement signaled that Japan had decided to surrender.

V-J Day is sometimes called Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day. It should not be confused with V-E Day, which marked Nazi Germany’s surrender in Europe on 8 May 1945. The two abbreviations identify separate victories in the Second World War.