Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in the 1945 radio broadcast associated with V-J Day.
Hirohito, posthumously called Emperor Shōwa, was Japan’s emperor from 1926 until his death in 1989. During World War II, he was the symbolic head of the Japanese state and formally addressed the nation after the imperial decision to accept the Allied terms.
His speech was recorded on August 14 and broadcast on August 15, 1945. It was known as the Gyokuon-hōsō, or “Jewel Voice Broadcast.” Most Japanese civilians had never heard the emperor speak publicly, making the broadcast an extraordinary event.
The announcement did not itself complete the legal surrender process. Japanese representatives later signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Hirohito remained emperor after the war, while Japan’s political system was reshaped during the Allied occupation.