On what date did Japan announce its acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration in 1945?

Japan announced its acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration on August 15, 1945. The announcement marked the public end of Japan’s resistance in World War II, although the formal surrender document was signed later.

Emperor Hirohito’s decision 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 emperor’s recorded speech was broadcast nationally at noon Japan Standard Time.

The speech used formal classical Japanese and did not plainly say “surrender,” so some listeners were initially uncertain about its meaning. It stated that Japan had accepted the Allied declaration and would end the war.

August 15 is commonly called V-J Day in many Allied countries, while September 2 is associated with the formal signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. These dates describe different stages of the same capitulation.