How long did the 1945 Hirohito surrender broadcast last from start to finish?

The 1945 Hirohito surrender broadcast lasted 4 minutes and 36 seconds from start to finish.

The recording was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on 15 August 1945. It carried Emperor Hirohito’s reading of the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War, announcing that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.

The speech was recorded on a gramophone disc at the Imperial Palace on the night of 14 August. Its formal Classical Japanese, unfamiliar pronunciation, and poor audio quality made it difficult for many listeners to understand. The recording was hidden during an attempted military coup and successfully delivered to NHK before the scheduled broadcast.

The broadcast was historically significant because it was the first time most Japanese subjects had heard their emperor’s voice. Hirohito did not use a simple conversational announcement saying “Japan surrenders”; instead, he referred to accepting the Allied declaration and urged the nation to endure the unbearable.