What does “V-J” stand for in V-J Day, the 1945 celebration of Japan’s surrender?

“V-J” in V-J Day stands for “Victory over Japan.”

The abbreviation parallels V-E Day, meaning Victory in Europe, which marked Nazi Germany’s surrender in May 1945. V-J Day commemorates Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II, although different countries associate it with different dates.

Japan announced its surrender on 15 August 1945, which was already 14 August in parts of the Americas because of time-zone differences. The formal surrender document was signed later, on 2 September 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. For that reason, “V-J Day” can refer either to the announcement or to the formal signing, depending on national tradition.

The term is sometimes confused with “V-P Day,” or Victory in the Pacific Day. That expression was also used by Allied countries, especially where the Pacific theater was the focus. Both labels refer to the same historic Japanese capitulation rather than to a separate battle.