Hirohito delivered the recorded radio address announcing Japan’s surrender in 1945. The emperor’s speech was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, telling the Japanese people that the government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration.
The address became known as the Jewel Voice Broadcast, or Gyokuon-hōsō. It was the first time many Japanese subjects had heard their emperor’s voice. Hirohito used formal classical Japanese, and poor recording quality made the message difficult for some listeners to understand. The word “surrender” was not stated directly in the speech, although its meaning was clarified afterward.
The recording was made secretly at the Imperial Palace on August 14. Officers opposed to ending the war attempted to prevent its broadcast during the Kyūjō incident, but the recordings were hidden and safely delivered to the broadcasting station.
Hirohito remained emperor after the war, while Japan was occupied and politically transformed. His broadcast should not be confused with the later signing ceremony aboard USS Missouri on September 2.