Emperor Hirohito made the 15 August 1945 radio announcement accepting the Allied surrender terms. His recorded address became Japan's first broadcast in which ordinary people heard the voice of their emperor.
The broadcast was known as the Gyokuon-hōsō, or Jewel Voice Broadcast. Hirohito announced that Japan had accepted the joint declaration issued by the United States, Britain, China, and later accepted by the Soviet Union in the context of the Potsdam terms.
The speech used formal Classical Japanese, which many listeners found difficult to understand. It did not plainly use the everyday phrase “Japan has surrendered,” so some people initially struggled to interpret its meaning.
The recording was made at the Imperial Palace on 14 August and broadcast at noon on 15 August. A failed military coup attempt sought to prevent the recording from airing, but palace and broadcasting staff preserved it and transmitted it nationwide.