What was the Japanese government’s official name, adopted in 1982, for its August 15 war-ending observance?

Japan’s official name for its August 15 war-ending observance, adopted in 1982, is Day for Mourning of War Dead and Praying for Peace.

August 15 is widely known in Japan as the Memorial Day for the End of the War, or Shūsen-kinenbi. The government’s formal title emphasizes mourning and prayer rather than military victory. A national memorial ceremony is held in Tokyo to remember those who died in the war and to express hopes for peace.

The date marks the public broadcast of Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender message in 1945. It does not mark the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which took place on September 2 aboard USS Missouri.

The observance is therefore different in tone and legal reference from the American expression V-J Day. Japan’s wording also reflects the country’s postwar focus on remembrance, civilian suffering, and peace. The 1982 adoption of the official title is a specific detail often omitted in brief accounts of the surrender.