Which Japanese emperor announced the country’s surrender in the 1945 radio broadcast?

Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in the 1945 radio broadcast. His recorded speech was transmitted to the Japanese public at noon on August 15, making it the first widely heard broadcast of a Japanese emperor’s voice.

Hirohito had been emperor since 1926 and remained on the throne after the war until his death in 1989. In the speech, he instructed the government to accept the terms of the Allied Potsdam Declaration. His wording was highly formal and indirect, so some listeners did not immediately understand that Japan had surrendered.

The address came after a dramatic series of events: the United States atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union’s entry into the war against Japan, and intense debate within Japan’s leadership. Hard-line officers even attempted to prevent the recording from being broadcast.

Hirohito did not sign the surrender document aboard USS Missouri. Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijirō Umezu signed on behalf of the Japanese government and military headquarters.