Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in the radio address known as the Gyokuon-hōsō.
The recorded address was broadcast on 15 August 1945 after Hirohito agreed that Japan should accept the Potsdam Declaration. He referred to the war’s course and Japan’s acceptance of the Allied terms in highly formal language.
The broadcast was historically significant because it was the first time the Japanese public had heard the emperor’s voice. Some listeners did not immediately understand that the speech meant Japan had surrendered, partly because of its ceremonial wording and poor radio reception.
Hirohito remained emperor after the war, although the Allied occupation reshaped Japan’s political system and his public role. He reigned until 1989. He is sometimes called Emperor Shōwa, the posthumous name used in Japan for his reign, which lasted from 1926 to 1989.