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

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

Hirohito, posthumously known by his era name Shōwa, had been emperor since 1926. On August 15, 1945, he addressed the Japanese public through a recorded radio reading of the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War.

The broadcast was unprecedented because it was the first time the Japanese emperor’s voice had been heard publicly by ordinary citizens. Hirohito used formal classical Japanese, and many listeners found the wording difficult to understand immediately. The announcement nevertheless made clear that Japan had accepted the Allied terms and would end the war.

Hirohito remained emperor after the surrender during the Allied occupation and continued on the throne until his death in 1989. He is sometimes confused with Emperor Akihito, his son and successor, who reigned from 1989 to 2019. Hirohito’s role in wartime decision-making remains historically debated, but his surrender broadcast is an established event.