Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender announcement became public in Japan on 15 August 1945. The broadcast announced Japan’s acceptance of the Allied terms in the Potsdam Declaration and is closely associated with V-J Day.
The recording was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time under the formal title Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War. Hirohito used highly formal language and did not plainly say “surrender,” so a clarification followed to ensure listeners understood the decision.
This date is sometimes confused with 14 August in the United States, because President Harry S. Truman announced the surrender to Americans during the evening of 14 August in Washington. The formal surrender ceremony occurred later, on 2 September.
The announcement followed Japan’s decision after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war, and intense debate within the Japanese leadership. Fighting and local surrenders continued in some areas after the broadcast.