Japan announced its World War II surrender on August 15, 1945, the date commonly called V-J Day.
Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender broadcast was transmitted to the Japanese public at noon Japan Standard Time. It announced that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, although the formal language did not simply say, “Japan surrenders.”
The date can cause confusion because the announcement occurred on August 14 in much of the Americas because of time-zone differences. September 2, 1945, is another important date: Japanese representatives signed the formal Instrument of Surrender that day aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Thus, V-J Day can refer either to the August announcement or the September signing, depending on national usage and historical context.
In the United States, President Harry S. Truman publicly announced Japan’s surrender on August 14 Washington time. In Japan and many other countries, August 15 remains the principal date associated with the end of the war.