In World War II, what does “V-J Day” stand for in commemorating Japan’s 1945 surrender?

V-J Day stands for Victory over Japan, the name given to celebrations marking Japan’s defeat and surrender in 1945.

The abbreviation follows the earlier Allied expression V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, which marked Nazi Germany’s surrender in May 1945. In the Pacific theater, the equivalent phrase became V-J Day. The date varied by location and time zone: many Allied countries marked it on August 15, when Japan’s acceptance of the surrender terms was announced, while the United States often used August 14 for the announcement and September 2 for the formal signing.

The distinction between announcement and legal ceremony causes frequent confusion. Emperor Hirohito’s recorded broadcast was transmitted to the Japanese public on August 15, but representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri on September 2. Those events are related but are not the same date.