Which Japanese emperor announced Japan’s surrender in 1945?

Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in 1945.

His recorded address was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on 15 August 1945. The speech conveyed the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War and instructed Japan’s armed forces to accept the Allied terms.

Many Japanese listeners had never heard the emperor’s voice before. The formal language and poor audio quality made the recording difficult for much of the public to understand immediately, although its significance was unmistakable.

Hirohito referred publicly to the destructive power of the atomic bomb and the need to end the war. In a separate message to the military, he also cited the Soviet Union’s entry into the war. The emperor remained on the throne after the surrender and was not prosecuted at the postwar Tokyo war-crimes tribunal.