Gyokuon-hōsō is the Japanese term for Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio broadcast announcing Japan’s surrender.
Hirohito recorded the speech on August 14, 1945, and it was broadcast at noon Japanese time on August 15. The address was Japan’s first nationwide radio broadcast by the emperor and used highly formal court language that many listeners found difficult to understand directly.
The recording referred to Japan accepting the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and ending the war. It did not use the plain phrase “surrender” in the way modern listeners might expect, which contributed to uncertainty among some members of the public. The broadcast followed a deadlocked leadership crisis and an attempted military coup intended to prevent the surrender announcement.
Gyokuon-hōsō literally refers to a broadcast of the emperor’s voice. It should not be confused with the Instrument of Surrender, which was signed later, or with V-J Day, a term used for celebrations marking victory over Japan.