Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s acceptance of the Allied surrender terms on 15 August 1945.
His announcement was delivered by radio in the Gyokuon-hōsō, or “Jewel Voice Broadcast.” Hirohito said that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and instructed the Japanese people to endure the unendurable and bear the unbearable.
The broadcast occurred six days after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and the Soviet Union’s entry into the war against Japan. It came after a deadlocked debate among Japan’s senior leaders, which was resolved when Hirohito intervened in favor of surrender.
The date is often called V-J Day in Japan and many Commonwealth countries. In the United States, V-J Day has also commonly referred to 14 August because the news reached the United States on 14 August local time. The formal surrender document was signed later, on 2 September.