The United States announced Japan’s surrender on August 14, 1945, marking V-J Day in the Americas.
President Harry S. Truman announced the news in a nationwide radio address at 7 p.m. Eastern War Time. The announcement followed Japan’s decision to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded the surrender of Japanese armed forces.
Because of time-zone differences, the announcement was already August 15 in Japan and much of Asia. Japan commonly associates V-J Day with August 15, when Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender broadcast was first heard by the public. The formal surrender ceremony took place later, on September 2, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
This creates three commonly cited dates: August 14 in the United States announcement, August 15 for Japan’s public broadcast, and September 2 for the signed surrender document.