At what time did NHK broadcast Emperor Hirohito’s surrender address to Japan on 15 August 1945?

NHK broadcast Emperor Hirohito’s surrender address at 12:00 p.m. Japan Standard Time on 15 August 1945.

The broadcast was scheduled for noon so that it could reach listeners throughout Japan during the daytime. It was not a live speech: the emperor had recorded the rescript the previous night at the Imperial Palace. The recording was then transported safely to NHK after officers opposed to surrender attempted to prevent its transmission.

The address lasted about four minutes and thirty-six seconds. Hirohito’s formal court language and the recording’s poor audio quality made it difficult for ordinary listeners to follow. The speech also referred indirectly to surrender by stating that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.

The timing explains why the event falls on different calendar dates in international accounts. The noon broadcast in Japan corresponded to early morning in Europe and the previous evening in much of North America. American authorities announced the news on 14 August U.S. time, while Japan and many Commonwealth countries commemorate the announcement on 15 August.