V-J Day, marking Japan’s announced acceptance of the Allied surrender terms in World War II, was August 15, 1945.
Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s decision in a radio broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time. The broadcast followed days of crisis after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war, and intense debate within Japan’s leadership.
The announcement was not yet the formal signing that legally documented Japan’s surrender. That ceremony took place on September 2, 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This distinction explains why some sources use August 15 for V-J Day while others emphasize September 2 as the formal end of the war.
In the United States, August 14 was still the date when the news arrived because of the time difference. Japan and many other countries commemorated the announcement on August 15.