The Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender via a recorded radio message the following day.
On September 2, 1945, Japanese representatives formally signed the Instrument of Surrender, officially bringing the war to an end.
Sources for this story included AHF, NationalWW2Museum, BBC, History.com, Al Jazeera, Hiroshima City, LiveScience, The New York Times, PBS, and The History Press.
Editor’s note: The story was first published in August 2023 and most recently updated in August 2026.