Emperor Hirohito delivered the radio broadcast announcing Japan’s World War II surrender.
The broadcast, known as the Gyokuon-hōsō or “Jewel Voice Broadcast,” aired at noon on August 15, 1945. Hirohito read the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War, telling the Japanese people that the government had accepted the Allied terms of the Potsdam Declaration.
The announcement was historically unusual because it was the first known time ordinary Japanese citizens had heard their emperor’s voice. Hirohito spoke in formal Classical Japanese, a style unfamiliar to many listeners, and the recording had weak sound quality. As a result, radio announcers clarified afterward that the emperor’s message meant Japan had surrendered.
Hirohito did not read the message live. Technicians recorded it at the Imperial Palace late on August 14, and the recording was broadcast the next day. A failed military coup attempt sought to prevent the recording from reaching the radio network.