Which U.S. president announced Japan’s surrender in Washington on August 14, 1945?

Harry S. Truman announced Japan’s surrender in Washington on August 14, 1945.

Truman had become president in April 1945 after Franklin D. Roosevelt died. During Truman’s presidency, the United States used atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan, and Japan accepted the Allied demand for surrender.

The announcement was made at 7 p.m. Washington time. Because of time-zone differences, it was already August 15 in Japan, where Emperor Hirohito’s recorded message was broadcast at noon. This difference explains why American sources often identify August 14 as V-J Day while Japanese sources emphasize August 15.

Truman’s announcement came before the formal surrender ceremony. Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender on September 2, 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Truman remained president during the early American occupation of Japan.