Australia commonly used the abbreviation V-P Day, meaning Victory in the Pacific Day, for its 1945 celebration of victory over Japan.
The term reflected Australia’s wartime geography and its central role in the Pacific conflict. Newspapers and government announcements used V-P Day alongside the more widely known V-J Day, or Victory over Japan Day.
Different countries used different labels and dates. In Japan, 15 August is associated with the emperor’s surrender broadcast. In the United States, 2 September became the official V-J Day after the formal signing aboard USS Missouri.
V-E Day had already marked Germany’s surrender in Europe on 8 May 1945. Thus V-P Day was not a name for the European victory; it specifically referred to the end of the Pacific War and Japan’s defeat.