September 2nd is V-J Day

August 14th - Japan surrenders

August 15th - Surrender announced to the world

September 2 - Ceremony and formal signing of surrender

VJ Day marks the end of WWII, and the cessation of fighting against Japan. It is called "Victory In Japan Day or "Victory Over Japan Day".

The confusion over three dates:

There is some confusion over what date is V-J Day. You can consider any (or all) of three dates as V-J Day. President Harry S. Truman caused some of this confusion........

On August 14, 1945, the Japanese government cabled to the U.S. their surrender. This is the date of most modern observances.

On August 15, 1945, news of the surrender was announced to the world. This sparked spontaneous celebrations over the final ending of World War II.

On September 2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri. At the time, President Truman declared September 2 to be VJ Day.

Regardless of which day you view as VJ Day, World War II was finally over.

A Little VJ Day History

The war in the Pacific was hard fought and bloody. The tide had definitely turned, and the U.S. military was fighting island by island towards Japan. Resistance was fierce. Casualties on both sides were high.

The U.S. had developed the atomic bomb. The U.S. government was anxious to end the war, and stop the loss of American lives.

On August 6th, 1945, the United States military dropped an atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima, Japan in an effort to force Japan into an immediate, unconditional surrender. Instead of immediately surrendering, the Japanese government debated what to do. So, the U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb on August 9, 1945 over the city of Nagasaki, Japan. 

On August 14, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito cabled the U.S. to surrender, and agreed to the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.

On August 15, 1945, news of the surrender was announced to the world. World War II was finally over. Hostilities ended.

On September 2, 1945, the Japanese formally surrendered aboard the U.S. battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. President Truman declared this to be V-J Day.

Did You Know? The battleship USS Missouri was chosen for the formal surrender ceremony, as she was named after President Truman's home state.