NHK broadcast Emperor Hirohito’s surrender announcement to Japan on August 15, 1945.
NHK, then known as the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, transmitted the recording at noon Japan Standard Time. The message had been recorded at the Imperial Palace the previous night, rather than delivered live. NHK technicians helped preserve and transport the recording despite an attempted military coup by officers who wanted to stop the announcement.
The address became known as the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Its formal language and poor audio quality meant that many listeners did not immediately grasp that Japan had surrendered. Radio Tokyo is a common mix-up because it was an Allied nickname for Japanese international broadcasts, but the domestic broadcast network carrying Hirohito’s address was NHK. The formal document was not signed until September 2 aboard USS Missouri.