What name is commonly given to Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio announcement of Japan’s surrender?

Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio announcement of Japan’s surrender is commonly called the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

The Japanese name, Gyokuon-hōsō, refers to the emperor’s “jewel voice.” Hirohito recorded the message at the Imperial Palace on 14 August 1945, and it was broadcast at noon on 15 August. It was the first time most Japanese civilians had heard their emperor’s voice.

The address did not plainly use the word “surrender.” Instead, Hirohito said that Japan had accepted the provisions of the Allied declaration, meaning the Potsdam Declaration. He referred to the atomic bomb as a “new and most cruel bomb” and urged the population to endure the situation.

The recording was difficult for many listeners to understand because it used formal Classical Japanese and had poor audio quality. A radio announcer clarified afterward that the speech meant Japan had surrendered.