What was the approximate length of Hirohito’s 1945 surrender broadcast?

Hirohito’s 1945 surrender broadcast lasted approximately 4 minutes and 36 seconds.

The recording was transmitted by NHK at noon on August 15, 1945. It contained the emperor’s announcement that Japan had accepted the Potsdam Declaration and would end the war. The short speech was carefully recorded the previous day on a phonograph record inside the Imperial Palace.

The broadcast was not an informal explanation. Hirohito used highly formal classical Japanese, a courtly style that many ordinary listeners found unfamiliar. The poor sound quality of the recording also made the message harder to understand, and some listeners were unsure whether the speech explicitly meant that Japan had surrendered.

The recording’s survival was significant because officers opposed to surrender tried to seize or destroy it during a failed palace coup. Two copies were hidden and taken safely to the broadcasting station. The formal surrender document was signed 18 days later.