What was the English nickname of Emperor Hirohito’s 1945 Japanese surrender broadcast?

The English nickname of Emperor Hirohito’s 1945 Japanese surrender broadcast was the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

The name translates the Japanese term Gyokuon-hōsō, often rendered as “Jewel Voice Broadcast.” The phrase uses respectful language for the emperor’s voice. Hirohito’s address was recorded at the Imperial Palace on August 14 and transmitted by NHK at noon on August 15, 1945.

It was not a live speech. NHK technicians recorded multiple takes on a phonograph record, and palace officials protected the recordings during an attempted military coup. The official record was then transported to the broadcasting station before the announcement.

The broadcast was difficult for ordinary listeners to follow because Hirohito used formal court language and the recording was quiet and distorted. It also referred indirectly to accepting the “joint declaration” rather than using a plain declaration of surrender. The term “Jewel Voice Broadcast” became widely established later as a descriptive name for the event.