Emperor Hirohito’s radio address announcing Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration was the Gyokuon-hōsō.
The Japanese term is often translated as “Jewel Voice Broadcast.” Hirohito’s recorded speech was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on 15 August 1945. It told the Japanese people that the government had accepted the provisions of the Allied “joint declaration,” meaning the Potsdam Declaration.
Hirohito did not plainly use the ordinary Japanese word for surrender in the speech. Instead, he referred to accepting the declaration and described the war situation as unfavorable. Formal court language and poor audio quality made the message difficult for many listeners to understand immediately.
The broadcast was historically significant because it was the first known occasion on which ordinary Japanese people heard their emperor’s voice. It followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the Soviet declaration of war and invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria. The formal surrender document was signed later, on 2 September.