Which Japanese emperor announced surrender terms in the Gyokuon-hosō radio broadcast?

Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender terms in the Gyokuon-hosō radio broadcast. His address was recorded on August 14, 1945, and broadcast at noon on August 15, making it the first time most Japanese subjects had heard the emperor's voice.

Hirohito used formal court language and did not plainly say the word “surrender.” Instead, he referred to accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and ending the war. Listeners nevertheless understood that Japan had capitulated, and the broadcast became the central public signal of V-J Day in Japan.

The recording survived an attempted coup by officers who tried to prevent its transmission during the Kyūjō incident. After the war, Hirohito remained emperor under a new constitution but lost his status as a divine sovereign. The broadcast is therefore important both as a military announcement and as a major moment in modern Japanese media and constitutional history.