Emperor Hirohito's 1945 radio announcement of Japan's surrender is called the Gyokuon-hōsō. The Japanese term is commonly translated as “Jewel Voice Broadcast.”
Hirohito's recorded speech was broadcast at noon on August 15, 1945. It announced that Japan had decided to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and end the war, although the word “surrender” was not stated in the most direct modern sense.
The broadcast was historically significant because ordinary Japanese subjects had not previously heard the emperor speak publicly by radio. His formal court language and poor audio quality made the message challenging for many listeners to follow.
The recording survived an attempted coup by Japanese military officers who wanted to prevent the surrender announcement from being broadcast. The speech followed Japan's diplomatic communications to the Allies and preceded the formal signing aboard USS Missouri.