Japan’s emperor announced acceptance of the surrender terms on August 15, 1945, marking V-J Day in Japan.
Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio address, known as the Gyokuon-hōsō, was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time. It told the Japanese public that the government had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The formal wording was highly indirect, and many listeners had never heard the emperor’s voice before.
The date can cause confusion because the announcement occurred on August 14 in parts of the Americas because of time-zone differences. September 2 is another important date: representatives formally signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
V-J Day therefore refers to more than one closely connected milestone. August 15 marks the public announcement in Japan, while September 2 marks the formal signing that ended the war legally and ceremonially.