How long was the surviving recording of Hirohito’s 1945 surrender broadcast?
Answer
4 minutes 36 seconds
The surviving recording of Hirohito’s 1945 surrender broadcast lasts 4 minutes and 36 seconds.
The recording contains the emperor reading the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War. It was broadcast by NHK at noon on August 15, 1945, after Japan’s government accepted the Allied terms.
Hirohito’s formal court language and the low audio quality made the speech hard for many people to follow. A radio announcer clarified afterward that the emperor’s message meant Japan was ending the war.
The original record became especially important because the Imperial Japanese Army had tried to prevent the speech from being broadcast. Officers searched for the recordings during an attempted coup, but palace officials successfully hid and delivered them to the radio station.