Hirohito’s Jewel Voice Broadcast was transmitted at noon in Japan on August 15, 1945.
The broadcast was scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Japan Standard Time and carried the emperor’s recorded announcement that Japan had accepted the Potsdam Declaration. An announcer first instructed listeners to stand for an announcement of the highest importance, after which the national anthem played and Hirohito’s speech began.
The timing made the address a nationwide event. Many people gathered around radios in homes, workplaces, and public spaces. Because the emperor spoke in formal court language and the recording was not especially clear, some listeners did not immediately realize that the message announced surrender.
The broadcast was made possible after military officers opposed to surrender tried to seize the recording and stop NHK from transmitting it. Their attempted coup failed, and the recording was delivered safely to the broadcasting station before noon.