On what date was Japan's surrender announced to its people during V-J Day in 1945?

Japan's surrender was announced to its people on 15 August 1945 during V-J Day. Emperor Hirohito's recorded radio address told listeners that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, although the speech used formal language and did not plainly say “surrender.”

The broadcast followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war against Japan. In the United States, the announcement was heard on 14 August because of the time difference, which explains why both dates appear in accounts of V-J Day.

The announcement was not the same as the formal legal surrender. Japanese representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. Thus, 15 August marks the public announcement in Japan, while 2 September marks the signing that formally ended hostilities.

Japan commonly commemorates 15 August as the day the war ended, while the United States officially observes 2 September as V-J Day. The distinction between announcement and signing is a frequent source of confusion.