What was the name of Japan’s August 1945 radio announcement accepting the Allied terms?

Japan’s August 1945 radio announcement accepting the Allied terms was the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

The broadcast was Emperor Hirohito’s recorded reading of the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War. It aired across Japan at noon on August 15, 1945, and announced acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. The Japanese name, Gyokuon-hoso, is commonly translated as “Jewel Voice Broadcast.”

The recording was made at the Imperial Palace late on August 14. Hirohito recorded the message twice, and the second recording became the official version. Palace officials secretly protected the records during an attempted military coup by officers who opposed surrender.

The speech’s indirect wording reflected the formal style of imperial language. Hirohito spoke of accepting the Allied declaration rather than plainly saying “surrender.” Poor sound quality and unfamiliar classical Japanese further obscured the meaning for some listeners, although a radio announcer clarified afterward that Japan had surrendered.