The first public radio broadcast of Emperor Hirohito’s voice was called Gyokuon-hōsō.
The Japanese term Gyokuon-hōsō is commonly translated as “Jewel Voice Broadcast.” It refers to Hirohito’s recorded announcement, broadcast on August 15, 1945, in which he informed the Japanese public that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The broadcast was the first time most Japanese people had heard the emperor speak.
Hirohito did not use a simple conversational style. He read a formal imperial rescript written in difficult classical Japanese, and many listeners struggled to understand its meaning immediately. The announcement also avoided a direct, plain-language phrase equivalent to “Japan surrenders,” contributing to uncertainty among some listeners.
The recording had been made the previous day and survived an attempted military coup by officers who wanted to prevent the broadcast. The Gyokuon-hōsō is therefore remembered both as a landmark in Japanese broadcasting and as the public announcement of Japan’s acceptance of surrender.