Gyokuon-hōsō is the Japanese name commonly used for Hirohito’s August 1945 surrender broadcast.
The term is often translated into English as “Jewel Voice Broadcast,” referring to the emperor’s voice. It describes the radio transmission of the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War, which was broadcast on August 15, 1945.
Hirohito’s message stated that Japan had accepted the Potsdam Declaration. It referred to the atomic bomb but did not directly mention the Soviet declaration of war or the Soviet invasion of Japanese-held territory in the same way later explanations often do.
The broadcast was historically unprecedented for Japan because it was the first time ordinary citizens heard the voice of their emperor. The recording’s formal language and poor sound quality caused confusion, but its significance was immediately understood: Japan would stop fighting.