On what date in Japan did V-J Day mark the announcement of Japan’s World War II surrender?

V-J Day in Japan marked the announcement of Japan’s World War II surrender on August 15, 1945.

Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio address was broadcast shortly after noon in Japan. It announced that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, although the formal surrender document had not yet been signed.

Because of time zones, the announcement was heard on August 14 in the United States and some other places. This explains why different countries have historically observed V-J Day on different dates. August 15 is the usual date in Japan and many Commonwealth countries.

The formal legal surrender came later, on September 2, 1945, when Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Thus, August 15 refers to the public announcement, while September 2 refers to the ceremony that formally ended hostilities.