On what date was Japan’s surrender announced to the Japanese public during World War II?

Japan’s surrender was announced to the Japanese public on 15 August 1945.

Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio address was broadcast shortly after noon in Japan. The speech accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and told the Japanese people that the war would end. It was the first time many ordinary Japanese citizens had heard the emperor’s voice.

The date can be confusing because the announcement occurred on 14 August in the United States and some other locations because of time-zone differences. The formal surrender ceremony came later, on 2 September 1945, when Japanese representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

In Japan, 15 August is commonly associated with the end of the war, while the United States officially commemorates V-J Day on 2 September. Both dates relate to Japan’s surrender, but they mark different stages of the process.