NHK transmitted Hirohito’s 1945 surrender address to the Japanese public.
NHK, then known as the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, aired the emperor’s recorded message at noon on 15 August 1945. The broadcast announced Japan’s acceptance of the Allied declaration and became known as the Jewel Voice Broadcast.
The speech was not transmitted live. NHK technicians recorded Hirohito at the Imperial Palace late on 14 August, and the official recording was then taken to the broadcasting station. Soldiers attempting to prevent the message from airing briefly seized the NHK building, but the broadcast ultimately went ahead.
The event was historically unusual because most Japanese subjects had never heard the emperor’s voice. Hirohito spoke in formal classical Japanese, and many listeners needed later explanation to understand that the address meant Japan had accepted defeat and would end the war.