Gyokuon-hoso was the Japanese name of the 1945 radio broadcast announcing acceptance of the Allied surrender terms.
The broadcast was transmitted on August 15, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito read the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War. It was the first time most Japanese people had heard the emperor’s voice, and it announced that Japan would accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.
The recording used formal court language that many listeners found difficult to understand. The emperor did not use the direct word “surrender” in the broadcast, which contributed to later confusion about its meaning. The Japanese government had agreed to surrender several days earlier, but the broadcast made the decision public across the empire.
Gyokuon-hoso literally refers to a broadcast of the emperor’s voice. In English, it is often called the Jewel Voice Broadcast. It should not be confused with the formal surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri, which occurred on September 2.