What Japanese term refers to Emperor Hirohito's 1945 surrender broadcast?

Gyokuon-hōsō is the Japanese term for Emperor Hirohito's 1945 surrender broadcast.

The Gyokuon-hōsō was recorded on August 14, 1945, and broadcast at noon in Japan on August 15. In the speech, Hirohito announced that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and told the Japanese people that the war situation had developed unfavorably.

The broadcast was historically significant because most Japanese civilians had never heard the Emperor's voice. The recording used formal court language, so many listeners did not immediately understand the direct meaning of the announcement. Its title literally refers to a broadcast of the Emperor's voice.

Gyokuon-hōsō is not the name of the August 15 observance itself. In Japan, the day is commonly called the anniversary of the end of the war, while the formal surrender document was signed on September 2. The broadcast announced the decision; the later ceremony formalized it.