The Kyūjō incident was the Japanese military coup attempt that tried to stop Hirohito's surrender recording.
The attempted coup unfolded during the night of August 14–15, 1945, as officers opposed to surrender sought to seize the Imperial Palace and prevent the emperor's recorded message from reaching the public. Major Kenji Hatanaka and other officers believed Japan should continue fighting rather than accept the Potsdam Declaration.
The plotters searched for the recordings and attempted to control the radio network. They failed to find the original records, which had been hidden inside the palace, and the coup collapsed after senior commanders refused to support it. The recording was then transported safely to the NHK broadcasting station and aired at noon on August 15.
The incident is also called the Imperial Palace incident. It illustrates that the surrender decision was contested inside Japan's military leadership even after Hirohito had chosen to accept the Allied terms. The name Kyūjō means “Imperial Palace.”