V-J Day is the common name for Victory over Japan Day, marking the Allied victory over Japan in 1945.
The abbreviation follows the pattern of V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, which marked Nazi Germany’s surrender in May 1945. V-J Day refers specifically to Japan’s acceptance of the Allied surrender terms and the end of the Pacific War.
The term can refer to more than one date. In many accounts it means August 15, when Hirohito’s radio broadcast announced Japan’s acceptance. In the United States, it often refers to August 14 because the news reached the country on August 14 local time. September 2 is the date of the formal signing aboard USS Missouri.
This difference is not a contradiction: it reflects the distinction between an announced decision, the date news was received in different time zones, and the later legal ceremony that completed the surrender.