V-J Day is the common U.S. name for Victory over Japan Day in 1945.
The abbreviation means “Victory over Japan.” In the United States, newspapers and public celebrations used V-J Day for the announcement that Japan had accepted the Allied surrender terms. That announcement came on August 14, 1945, in U.S. time, while the news reached Japan through the emperor's broadcast on August 15.
The term is sometimes applied to September 2, the date when Japan signed the formal surrender instrument aboard USS Missouri. This creates two commonly encountered dates: August 14 or 15 for the public announcement, and September 2 for the legal ceremony. The exact usage depends on the country and historical context.
V-J Day parallels V-E Day, which marks victory over Germany in Europe. V-E Day occurred in May 1945, months before Japan's surrender ended the wider war. “Victory Day” without the Japan qualifier can refer to other national commemorations.