What is the common English name for Emperor Hirohito’s 1945 surrender radio broadcast?

Jewel Voice Broadcast is the common English name for Emperor Hirohito’s 1945 surrender radio broadcast.

The broadcast aired at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, 1945. Hirohito read the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War, announcing that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The recording was made the previous night and replayed over NHK radio rather than transmitted as a live speech.

The Japanese title, Gyokuon-hōsō, literally refers to the Emperor’s voice in elevated or “jewel” language. Many ordinary Japanese listeners had never heard the Emperor speak, and the formal classical language plus poor audio quality made the message difficult to understand. A radio announcer clarified afterward that Japan was surrendering.

The broadcast is not the same event as the formal signing aboard USS Missouri on September 2. August 15 marked Japan’s public announcement of acceptance, while September 2 recorded the surrender in a signed legal instrument.