On what date did Japan announce its World War II surrender to the public in 1945?

Japan announced its World War II surrender to the public on August 15, 1945.

Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio address was broadcast at noon in Japan. It announced that the government had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded the surrender of Japan’s armed forces. The broadcast was later known as the Gyokuon-hōsō, or “Jewel Voice Broadcast.”

The date can cause confusion because time zones meant the announcement was heard on August 14 in the United States and parts of the Americas. The formal surrender ceremony took place later, on September 2, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Japan’s announcement followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war, and intense political debate within the Japanese leadership. The announcement ended major combat, although formal documents and regional surrender ceremonies followed. In Japan, August 15 is commonly associated with the end of the war, while the United States officially commemorates September 2 as V-J Day.