Victory over Japan Day

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Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day, also known as Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the celebration of the Surrender of Japan, which was initially announced on August 15, 1945 (August 14 North American date), ending combat in the Second World War. A formal Surrender happened on September 2nd. In Japan, the day is usually known as Shuusen-kinenbi^[1], which literally means the "memorial day for the end of the war"; the official name for the day is however "the day for mourning of war dead and praying for peace".^[2] The day is commemorated as Liberation Day in Korea and some other nations. Rhode Island remains the only U.S. state to recognize the holiday.

Contents 1 Surrender 2 Events leading up to the surrender 3 Events after the surrender 4 Famous photograph 5 Dancing Man 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Surrender

At noon Japan standard time on August 13, 1945, Emperor Hirohito's announcement of Japan's acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration was broadcast to the Japanese people over the radio. Earlier the same day, the Japanese government broadcast an announcement over Radio Tokyo that "acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation [would be] coming soon," then advised the Allies of the surrender by sending a cable to U.S. President Harry S. Truman via the Swiss diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C.^[3]

Since Japan was the last Axis Power to surrender and V-J Day followed V-E Day by three months, V-J Day marked the end of World War II.

The formal Japanese signing of the surrender terms took place on board the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, and at that time Truman actually declared September 2 to be V-J Day. [1] However, in the United States and in the memories of those Americans alive at the time, August 15, 1945 will forever stand as V-J Day, with the same iconic significance of December 7, 1941, which is commonly referred to as Pearl Harbor Day.

V-J Day is still a state holiday in Rhode Island. The holiday's official name is "Victory Day",^[4] and it is observed on the second Monday of August.

In Australia and most other allied nations, the name V-P Day was used from the outset. The Canberra Times of August 14, 1945, refers to VP Day celebrations, and a public holiday for VP Day was gazetted by the government in that year according to the Australian War Memorial.

[edit] Events leading up to the surrender

Main article: Surrender of Japan

July 26, 1945: Potsdam Declaration is issued. Truman tells Japan, "Surrender or suffer prompt and utter destruction."
July 29: Japan rejects the Potsdam Declaration.
August 2: Potsdam conference ends.
August 6: An atomic bomb, "Little Boy" is dropped on Hiroshima.
August 8: USSR declares war on Japan.
August 9: Another atomic bomb, "Fat Man" is dropped on Nagasaki.
August 15: Japan surrenders.

[edit] Events after the surrender

In 1982 the Japanese government issued an ordinance that designated August 15 to be "the day for mourning of war dead and praying for peace."^[5]

[edit] Famous photograph

One of the most famous photographs ever published by Life, V–J day in Times Square was shot in Times Square on V-J Day. Alfred Eisenstaedt was in the square taking candids when he spotted a sailor "running along the street grabbing any and every girl in sight," he later explained. "Whether she was a grandmother, stout, thin, old, didn't make any difference. I was running ahead of him with my Leica looking back over my shoulder... Then suddenly, in a flash, I saw something white being grabbed. I turned around and clicked the moment the sailor kissed the nurse." Eisenstadt was very gratified and pleased with this enduring image, saying: "People tell me that when I am in heaven they will remember this picture."

The participants in the kiss were never confirmed by Eisenstaedt, whose notes on the photo were not found after his death in 1995. Life, however, accepted nurse Edith Cullen Shain's claim to this honor in a handwritten letter to Eisenstaedt 35 years later. Shain was 27 on V-J Day. Over 20 men have claimed to be the sailor, but none has been positively identified. The sailor was identified by the Naval War College in August 2005 as George Mendonça, of Newport, Rhode Island, although many other men have claimed the honor.[2] However, Shain has said she believes the man to be former New York City police detective Carl Muscarello. Houston Police biometrics expert Lois Gibson identified the sailor in the picture as Glenn McDuffie.[3]

[edit] Dancing Man

The Dancing Man was a short piece of footage that was taken of a man joyously dancing amongst the singing, cheering and celebrating crowds. It was taken on George Street, Sydney, Australia on August 15, 1945, and has come to symbolise the end of World War II for the Australian people. Many men have claimed to be the Dancing Man, but none has been positively identified.

[edit] See also

• Japanese Instrument of Surrender
• Gwangbokjeol, celebrating the end of Japanese rule in Korea
• Victory in Europe Day

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The U.S. Army in Post WWII Japan
• Original Document: Surrender of Japan
• Japanese Sign Final Surrender Video
• Life magazine: V-J Day Kiss
• V-J Day Proclamation, 1945 — from the State Library and Archives of Florida.
• VJ Day in New Zealand