Emperor Hirohito’s 15 August 1945 radio broadcast announcing Japan’s acceptance of the Allied terms is commonly called Gyokuon-hōsō. The Japanese term means “broadcast of the jeweled voice.”
It was the first time most Japanese civilians had heard the emperor’s voice. Hirohito used formal imperial language and did not plainly say the word “surrender,” referring instead to Japan’s acceptance of the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration.
The recording was made on 14 August and broadcast at noon on 15 August Japan time. Some military officers opposed the decision and attempted to prevent the recording from being broadcast during the Kyūjō incident, but the effort failed.
The broadcast announced the end of hostilities politically, while the formal surrender ceremony still lay ahead. Representatives of Japan signed the surrender instrument aboard USS Missouri on 2 September 1945.