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