Tadaichi Hirakawa translated Hirohito’s surrender speech into English for international radio audiences.
Hirakawa was a radio presenter who provided the English translation of the emperor’s address as it was broadcast internationally on August 15, 1945. The Japanese version was transmitted by NHK at noon Japan Standard Time and announced acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration.
The speech itself was a recorded imperial rescript rather than a live address. Hirohito had recorded it at the Imperial Palace on the previous night, after government officials and court staff worked through repeated revisions. The official recording was then transported to NHK for transmission.
Hirakawa’s role should not be confused with that of Morio Tateno, the NHK announcer associated with introducing the broadcast to Japanese listeners. Nor was Hirakawa one of the officials who signed Japan’s surrender instrument. The formal signing occurred more than two weeks later, on September 2, aboard USS Missouri.