On which date was Japan’s surrender first announced to its people in 1945?

Japan’s surrender was first announced to its people on August 15, 1945. Emperor Hirohito’s radio address told the Japanese public that the government had accepted the Allied terms for ending the war.

The announcement came after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union’s entry into the war against Japan, and intense debate within Japan’s leadership. Hirohito recorded the speech on August 14, and it was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15.

August 15 is commonly called V-J Day in Japan and the United Kingdom, although the United States has often used September 2, the date of the formal signing ceremony. Time-zone differences also meant that the announcement was heard as August 14 in much of the Americas. The August announcement therefore marked Japan’s decision to surrender, while September 2 marked the legal and ceremonial completion of that surrender.