On what date did Japan announce its surrender in 1945, according to Japan Standard Time?

Japan announced its surrender on 15 August 1945, according to Japan Standard Time.

Emperor Hirohito’s recorded announcement was broadcast at noon, telling the Japanese public that the government had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The speech used formal Classical Japanese and was difficult for many listeners to understand clearly, but it was the first time most Japanese people had heard the emperor’s voice.

The date can cause confusion because time zones produced different calendar dates elsewhere. In the United States, the announcement was heard on 14 August, while Britain and Japan generally commemorate the announcement on 15 August. The formal surrender ceremony came later, on 2 September 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Japan’s announcement did not instantly stop every military action. Fighting and Japanese holdouts continued in parts of Asia and the Pacific, but the announcement marked the effective end of organized Japanese resistance and led to the formal surrender documents.