What was the title of the document Emperor Hirohito read in Japan’s 1945 surrender broadcast?

The document Emperor Hirohito read in Japan’s 1945 surrender broadcast was the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War.

Hirohito’s recorded reading was broadcast at noon on August 15, 1945. The rescript stated that Japan had decided to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and end the war. It used formal, classical Japanese rather than conversational language.

The speech is often called the Gyokuon-hōsō, meaning the “Jewel Voice Broadcast.” That popular name describes the broadcast, not the document’s formal title. The rescript itself was an imperial proclamation issued in response to the Allied demand for Japan’s unconditional surrender.

The rescript did not replace the later written surrender instrument. Japan’s representatives signed that separate document on September 2 aboard USS Missouri, making the capitulation formal before Allied representatives.