Victory over Japan Day

Victory over Japan Day
Representatives of the Empire of Japan aboard USS Missouri at the surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945
Also calledV-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, V-P Day
Date15 August 1945 and 2 September 1945
FrequencyAnnually
Related toVictory in Europe Day

Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day[1]) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made – 15 August 1945, in Japan, and because of time zone differences, 14 August 1945 (when it was announced in the United States and the rest of the Americas and Eastern Pacific Islands) – as well as to 2 September 1945, when the surrender document was signed, officially ending World War II.

15 August is the official V-J Day for the United Kingdom, while the official US commemoration is 2 September.[2] The name, V-J Day, had been selected by the Allies after they named V-E Day for the victory in Europe.

On 2 September 1945, formal surrender occurred aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. In Japan, 15 August usually is known as the "memorial day for the end of the war" (終戦記念日, Shūsen-kinenbi); the official name for the day, however, is "the day for mourning of war dead and praying for peace" (戦没者を追悼し平和を祈念する日, Senbotsusha o tsuitōshi heiwa o kinensuru hi). This official name was adopted in 1982 by an ordinance issued by the Japanese government.[3]

  1. ^ "Victory in the Pacific (VP) Day". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  2. ^ "History.com". Archived from the original on 7 March 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  3. ^ 厚生労働省:全国戦没者追悼式について (in Japanese). Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 8 August 2007. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2008.

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