Which Japanese emperor announced his country’s surrender in the 1945 Jewel Voice Broadcast?

Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in the 1945 Jewel Voice Broadcast.

The broadcast aired on August 15, 1945, at noon on Japan’s national radio network. Hirohito read an imperial rescript explaining that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. His formal language did not use the simple phrase “Japan surrenders,” so a radio announcer clarified the meaning afterward.

The speech was historically remarkable because it was the first time most Japanese civilians had heard the emperor’s voice. Hirohito had recorded the message at the Imperial Palace, and palace officials protected the recording during an attempted military coup by officers who wanted to prevent the surrender announcement.

The broadcast is commonly called the Jewel Voice Broadcast, or Gyokuon-hōsō. The nickname reflects the traditional elevated language used for the emperor’s voice. The recording lasted roughly four and a half minutes and was transmitted through NHK.