What is Victory over Japan Day and when is it celebrated?
Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day) marks the surrender of Imperial Japan at the end of World War II. It is associated with three dates: the 14th of August 1945 (when Japan's surrender was announced in the United States), the 15th of August 1945 (when the announcement was made in Japan and recognized as the official V-J Day by the United Kingdom), and the 2nd of September 1945, when the formal surrender document was signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay and declared the official U.S. V-J Day by President Truman.
What happened at the V-J Day ceremony aboard the USS Missouri?
On the 2nd of September 1945, the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was formally signed aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. At the conclusion of the ceremony, President Harry S Truman declared September 2 the official V-J Day for the United States.
Who are the people in the V-J Day kiss photograph taken in Times Square?
The famous kiss photograph was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt on the 14th of August 1945. It was established that the woman in white was Greta Zimmer Friedman, a dental assistant who was grabbed by a sailor celebrating the end of the war. Friedman later explained the sailor grabbed her because he was grateful to nurses who had cared for the wounded, and said it was more a jubilant act than a kiss.
What were the San Francisco riots on V-J Day?
In San Francisco, thousands of people, the vast majority of them Navy enlistees who had not served in the Pacific, launched what the San Francisco Chronicle described in 2015 as a three-night orgy of vandalism, looting, assault, robbery, rape, and murder. More than 1,000 people were injured, 13 were killed, and at least six women were raped. No serious criminal charges were brought and no official was sanctioned.
When did the last Japanese soldier surrender after V-J Day?
Some Japanese soldiers on isolated Pacific islands continued to fight for decades after the war's official end. The last known Japanese soldier did not surrender until 1974.
How is Victory over Japan Day observed in different countries?
Observances vary widely by nation. The United Kingdom officially marks August 15; the United States designates September 2, though it is not a federal holiday. Australia uses the term VP Day and marks August 15. South Korea celebrates Gwangbokjeol as a public holiday marking liberation from Japanese colonial rule. China and Russia observe September 3. The Philippines marks September 3 as the Surrender of General Tomoyuki Yamashita Day.