On what date was Hirohito’s surrender message broadcast to Japan in 1945?

Hirohito’s surrender message was broadcast to Japan on August 15, 1945.

The recorded speech aired at noon Japan Standard Time through NHK, Japan’s national broadcaster. Hirohito announced that Japan had accepted the terms of the Allied declaration and ordered the government to communicate that decision. The broadcast followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union’s entry into the war against Japan.

August 15 is often called V-J Day in Japan and several other countries because it was the date the surrender announcement was heard locally. In the United States, the announcement was heard on August 14 because of the international date line and time-zone differences. September 2 is the separate date of the formal signing ceremony.

The speech was not a live address. NHK technicians recorded Hirohito twice late on August 14, and the second recording was broadcast the next day. The recording’s formal language and weak audio quality made the announcement difficult for many listeners to follow.