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VJ Day 2020: What time is two-minute silence taking place today?

WAAFs link arms with soldiers during the VJ Day celebrations in Piccadilly Circus, 10 August 1945: Photo by Keystone/Getty Images
WAAFs link arms with soldiers during the VJ Day celebrations in Piccadilly Circus, 10 August 1945: Photo by Keystone/Getty Images

Saturday 15 August marks the 75th anniversary of VJ Day.

Although many associate the end of the Second World War with VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), it actually occurred several months later when fighting between the Allied forces and Japan came to an end.

A two-minute silence is being held today to remember those who lost their lives throughout the war.

Here is everything you need to know about VJ Day and how it is being commemorated.

What is VJ Day?

VJ Day – otherwise known as Victory over Japan Day – commemorates the surrender of Japan to the Allied forces on 15 August 1945, marking an end to the Second World War.

Japan’s surrender took place more than three months after fighting in Europe had ceased, which was marked in May this year with the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Although VJ Day signalled an end to the Second World War, the surrender did not become official until 2 September, when Japan signed surrender documents on board the USS Missouri battleship, which was anchored off Tokyo.

Japan’s involvement in the Second World War began with the bombing of Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, US on 7 December 1941.

The country’s surrender came shortly after the US dropped nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, causing the deaths of more than 200,000 people.

Emperor Hirohito of Japan announced the country’s surrender on 15 August over the radio.

What time is today’s two-minute silence?

A two-minute silence is being held at 11am on Saturday 15 August.

The two-minute silence will be led by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall as part of a televised event being aired by the BBC and filmed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

How else is VJ Day being commemorated?

Before the two-minute silence commences, the prime minister will read the Exhortation.

Afterwards, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will take part in a flypast over the botanical garden.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who retired from royal duties on 2 August 2017, will feature alongside other veterans on large screens, such as the one in Piccaddilly Circus, across the UK.

The duke, who is 99 years old, served in the Second World War as a naval officer, marrying then-Princess Elizabeth two years after the war ended.

Prince Philip previously spoke about witnessing the ceremony of Japan’s surrender through binoculars, having been on the warship HMS Whelp at the time, which was moored close to the USS Missouri.

On the evening of VJ Day, the Duke of Cambridge will take part in a pre-recorded BBC programme called VJ Day 75: The Nation’s Tribute, in which the duke will express his gratitude to those who made sacrifices during the Second World War.

Following the first flypast, another aerial tribute by the Red Arrows will take place over Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London.

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What is VJ Day and how will it be marked this year?