Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in a nationwide radio broadcast on 15 August 1945.
The recorded address, later called the Gyokuon-hōsō, told Japan’s population that the government had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. It was broadcast shortly after noon Japan Standard Time. For many listeners, it was the first time they had ever heard the emperor’s voice.
The announcement followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union’s entry into the war against Japan, and intense debate within Japan’s leadership. The formal surrender was still to come: Japanese representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September.
The date can cause confusion internationally because the broadcast occurred on 14 August in much of the Americas because of time-zone differences. Thus, V-J Day may refer to 15 August, the announcement date, or 2 September, the date of the formal signing.