Japan publicly announced its acceptance of the Allied surrender terms on August 15, 1945, marking V-J Day in many countries. Emperor Hirohito’s radio address was broadcast in Japan at noon local time.
The announcement followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union’s entry into the war against Japan, and intense debate inside Japan’s leadership. Hirohito intervened to break a deadlock in the Supreme War Council and accepted the Potsdam Declaration.
The announcement was not yet the legal completion of the war. Japan’s formal Instrument of Surrender was signed aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. Consequently, some countries use August 15 as V-J Day, while others commemorate September 2 as the official surrender date.
The date can also appear as August 14 in parts of the Americas because of time-zone differences. The distinction explains why photographs and newspaper headlines sometimes carry different calendar dates for the same announcement.