What was Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender announcement to Japan commonly called?

Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender announcement was commonly called the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

The name comes from the broadcast’s Japanese title, Gyokuon-hōsō, often translated as “Jewel Voice Broadcast.” It aired on August 15, 1945, after Hirohito recorded the message on the previous day.

The speech used highly formal language and did not plainly state the word “surrender” in the modern conversational sense. Instead, it announced Japan’s acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and the end of continued fighting.

The broadcast was a historic break with imperial tradition because ordinary Japanese people had never before heard the emperor speak publicly by radio. It was not the same as the later signing ceremony aboard USS Missouri.