Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio broadcast announcing Japan’s surrender was called Gyokuon-hōsō.
The term means the Jewel Voice Broadcast and refers to the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War, which Hirohito recorded on August 14, 1945. It was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, making it the first time most Japanese civilians had heard the emperor’s voice.
Hirohito announced that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The broadcast used formal court language that many listeners found difficult to understand directly, so news reports and government explanations clarified that Japan had surrendered.
Gyokuon-hōsō is often confused with the formal surrender ceremony held aboard USS Missouri. The broadcast announced Japan’s decision, while the written instrument signed on September 2 legally formalized the capitulation. The two events explain why different countries commemorate V-J Day on different dates.