What was Emperor Hirohito’s recorded August 15, 1945 address officially called?

Emperor Hirohito’s recorded August 15, 1945 address was officially called the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War.

The recording was broadcast at noon in Japan on August 15 and communicated the Emperor’s acceptance of the Allied surrender terms. It was the first time most Japanese civilians had heard Hirohito’s voice. Because the speech used formal, classical Japanese and the recording quality was poor, many listeners found it difficult to understand directly.

The address did not constitute the final signed surrender document. It announced Japan’s decision and prepared the public for the end of the war, while the formal ceremony occurred later aboard USS Missouri on September 2. The speech is commonly called the Gyokuon-hōsō, meaning the “Jewel Voice Broadcast.”

Hirohito referred to the use of a new and cruel bomb and the danger of continued fighting. In a separate address to the military two days later, he emphasized the Soviet Union’s entry into the war rather than focusing primarily on the atomic bombings.