What is the English name commonly given to Hirohito's 1945 surrender broadcast?

The English name commonly given to Hirohito's 1945 surrender broadcast is the Jewel Voice Broadcast. The Japanese title, Gyokuon-hōsō, refers to the emperor's voice being heard by the public through radio.

The broadcast aired on August 15, 1945, after a recording made at the Imperial Palace the previous night. It was the first time most Japanese civilians had heard the emperor's voice. Hirohito's use of formal court language meant that many listeners did not immediately understand that Japan had accepted the Allied terms.

“Jewel Voice Broadcast” is a later English translation rather than the wording used in the original announcement. The address was officially the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War. It announced acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration but did not use a simple sentence equivalent to “I surrender.” That difference helps explain why the broadcast's historical name and its official title are sometimes confused.