Emperor Hirohito's surrender broadcast reached Japanese listeners on 15 August 1945.
The prerecorded address was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time. It announced Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration and was the first time most Japanese people had heard their emperor's voice.
Hirohito used formal court language, so many listeners did not immediately understand that Japan had surrendered. The speech referred to the atomic bombings and the changing military situation, but it did not use the simple everyday phrase “Japan surrenders.”
This date is commonly associated with V-J Day, especially in Japan and many Commonwealth countries. The formal surrender document was signed later, on 2 September 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.