The failed August 1945 coup attempt to stop Hirohito’s surrender broadcast was called the Kyūjō incident.
Army officers opposed to ending the war attempted to seize the Imperial Palace on the night of 14 August 1945. Their aim was to prevent the recording of Hirohito’s surrender message from reaching the public and to preserve continued resistance.
The rebels searched for the recording but could not find it. Palace officials had hidden the original and a copy in separate locations. The plot collapsed after senior commanders refused to support it, and the recording was taken safely to NHK for broadcast at noon on 15 August.
The incident is also known as the Kyūjō mutiny. It is often confused with earlier Japanese military uprisings, including the February 26 Incident of 1936. Unlike that earlier revolt, the Kyūjō incident occurred after the emperor had decided to accept the Allied terms and was directly tied to the surrender broadcast.