On what date did Emperor Hirohito's recorded surrender broadcast reach Japan's public?

Emperor Hirohito's recorded surrender broadcast reached Japan's public on 15 August 1945.

The broadcast aired at noon Japan Standard Time through the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, now known as NHK. Hirohito read the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War, announcing that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. It was the first time most Japanese people had heard their emperor's voice.

The date can cause confusion because the recording was made late on 14 August, and the American government announced Japan's surrender on 14 August in Washington. The formal surrender ceremony occurred later, on 2 September 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

In Japan, 15 August is commonly remembered as the day the war ended, while some Allied countries used 14 August because of the time difference. Hirohito's speech did not use a simple phrase such as “Japan surrenders”; its formal language referred indirectly to accepting the Allied declaration.