Which Japanese emperor announced Japan’s surrender in a recorded radio broadcast?

Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in a recorded radio broadcast on August 15, 1945. The address is commonly called the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

Hirohito read the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War, informing the Japanese people that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. He referred to the destructive power of a new type of bomb and the worsening military situation.

The broadcast was unusual because most Japanese people had never heard the emperor’s voice. It was recorded at the Imperial Palace on August 14 and transmitted through NHK at noon the following day.

The formal surrender had not yet been signed, so the broadcast and the later ceremony represent different stages of the surrender process. Hirohito remained emperor after the war, while the Allied occupation introduced major political and social reforms.