Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender broadcast aired at noon in Japan on August 15, 1945. It transmitted the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War to the Japanese public.
The broadcast was historically unprecedented because most Japanese people had never heard the emperor’s voice. Hirohito used formal, classical language and spoke through a recording made the previous day, so many listeners found the announcement difficult to understand clearly.
He did not use the ordinary modern phrase “surrender” in the way many listeners expected. Instead, he said Japan had decided to accept the terms of the Allied declaration and end the war. The speech referred to the destructive power of a new bomb and the need to save the nation from further devastation.
The timing also explains why commemorations differ. In Japan and much of the British Commonwealth, August 15 became associated with the announcement. In the United States, the news arrived on August 14 because of time-zone differences, while the formal signing occurred on September 2.