The Allied victory over Japan in World War II is commonly called V-J Day, short for Victory over Japan Day.
The term is associated especially with August 15, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito’s surrender broadcast was heard in Japan and reported internationally. In the United States, President Harry Truman announced the victory on August 14 because of the time difference between Washington and Japan. These two dates explain why sources sometimes list V-J Day differently.
A second important date is September 2, 1945, when Japanese representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri. Some references use “V-J Day” for that formal signing instead, so the term has both a public-announcement meaning and a legal-ceremony meaning.
V-J Day is the Pacific counterpart to V-E Day, which marked Germany’s surrender in Europe in May 1945. The distinction helps prevent a common mix-up: V-E Day ended the war in Europe, while V-J Day marked Japan’s defeat and the end of the global conflict.