Hirohito’s recorded surrender broadcast to Japan was called Gyokuon-hōsō.
The Japanese term is commonly translated as “Jewel Voice Broadcast.” It refers to the transmission of the emperor’s recorded reading of the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War at noon on August 15, 1945.
The speech announced that Japan had accepted the Allied terms. Because Hirohito used formal Classical Japanese and the recording had limited audio quality, many listeners did not immediately understand that the message meant surrender. A radio announcer clarified the meaning after the recording ended.
The broadcast followed an attempted military coup, known as the Kyūjō incident, which sought to prevent the recording from reaching the public. The recording survived because palace officials hid it during the night before the scheduled transmission.