Emperor Hirohito’s surrender broadcast was called Gyokuon-hōsō during the 1945 V-J Day events.
The term means “Jewel Voice Broadcast” and refers to the radio address in which Hirohito announced Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. The recording was made on 14 August 1945 and broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on 15 August.
Many Japanese listeners had never heard the emperor’s voice before. Hirohito used formal, classical court language rather than plainly saying “surrender,” so some listeners found the announcement difficult to understand. The broadcast nevertheless made clear that Japan would accept the Allied terms and end the war.
The broadcast date is commonly called V-J Day in the United States and is also observed as Japan’s surrender day in many accounts. It was not the same as the formal signing on 2 September, when Japanese officials signed the surrender instrument aboard the USS Missouri.