NHK broadcast Emperor Hirohito’s surrender message to Japan on August 15, 1945.
NHK, then Japan’s national broadcasting organization, aired the recorded imperial rescript at noon Japan Standard Time. The recording had been made in the Imperial Palace and was transported to the broadcasting station after an attempted military coup threatened to prevent the announcement.
The broadcast was unusual because ordinary Japanese people had not previously heard the emperor speak. The formal language and poor audio quality made the message difficult for some listeners to understand immediately, so an announcer clarified that it meant Japan had accepted the Allied surrender terms.