Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in World War II in 1945.
His recorded address was broadcast to the Japanese public at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, 1945. It communicated Japan’s acceptance of the Allied terms and brought the news of surrender directly from the emperor to his subjects, an unprecedented use of radio for the Japanese monarchy.
The speech was written in formal, classical Japanese and used indirect language. Many listeners struggled to understand the recording, but its meaning became clear from the surrounding announcements and later government statements. Hirohito referred to the destructive power of a new weapon and the worsening military situation.
Hirohito remained emperor after the war, although the Allied occupation transformed Japan’s political system and reduced the emperor’s constitutional role. He was not prosecuted at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. His son, Akihito, succeeded him in 1989, so Akihito is not the emperor associated with the 1945 surrender broadcast.