Victory Over Japan Day or V-J Day commemorates Japan’s unconditional surrender and the end of World War II V-J Day actually applies to two (or even three) different dates: August 14, August 15, and September 2, 1945. Japan announced its surrender on August 15, but because of time zone differences, the news ironically was received a day earlier on August 14 in the United States. On September 2, the official surrender documents were signed. The United States generally celebrates September 2, while the United Kingdom commemorates August 15. V-J Day is often paired with V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), which marks Germany’s surrender on May 8, 1945.
“V-J Day.” The National WWII Museum. Accessed October 18, 2018, https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/v-j-day.