V-J Day: Japan Capitulates, World War II Over
Emperor Hirohito's voice, broadcast by radio for the first time in Japanese history on August 15, 1945, announced Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration's terms. He spoke in a formal court dialect that many citizens struggled to understand, but the message was clear: the war was over. Japan had lost 2.7 million military personnel and between 500,000 and 800,000 civilians. Sixty-six cities had been firebombed, two had been struck by atomic weapons, and the merchant fleet was destroyed. In occupied territories, spontaneous celebrations mixed with confusion and, for some Japanese soldiers on remote islands, disbelief that would persist for decades. The formal surrender ceremony took place on the USS Missouri on September 2.
August 15, 1945
81 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on August 15
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