On what date did Japan’s surrender announcement reach Japanese radio listeners in Japan?

Japan’s surrender announcement reached Japanese radio listeners on August 15, 1945.

Emperor Hirohito’s recorded address, known as the Gyokuon-hōsō or “Jewel Voice Broadcast,” was transmitted at noon Japan Standard Time. It announced that Japan had accepted the Allied terms in the Potsdam Declaration, although Hirohito did not use the ordinary word “surrender” directly in the speech.

The recording was made at the Imperial Palace on August 14 and broadcast the next day. Many Japanese people had never heard the emperor’s voice before, and the formal language and poor audio quality made the message difficult to understand. Radio announcers clarified afterward that Japan had capitulated.

August 15 is often called V-J Day in Japan and several Allied countries. In the United States, however, newspapers and officials also used August 14, when President Harry Truman announced the surrender in Washington. The formal legal ceremony came later, on September 2.