What was the name of Emperor Hirohito’s surrender broadcast to Japan?

Emperor Hirohito’s surrender broadcast was called the Gyokuon-hōsō, commonly translated as the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

The broadcast aired on August 15, 1945, and contained Hirohito’s reading of the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War. It announced that Japan had accepted the Allied terms, although the formal surrender document would not be signed until September 2.

The recording was made on August 14 inside the Imperial Palace rather than transmitted live. Technicians recorded more than one version, and the approved recording was later taken to the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, or NHK, for transmission.

The broadcast was historically significant because it was the first time ordinary Japanese people had heard the emperor’s voice. Its courtly language and poor sound quality made the announcement hard for many listeners to understand, and it avoided a simple direct statement that Japan had surrendered.