NHK transmitted Emperor Hirohito’s 1945 surrender broadcast.
NHK was then known as the Japan Broadcasting Corporation and served as Japan’s national broadcaster. On August 15, 1945, it replayed a recording of Hirohito’s address at noon Japan Standard Time. The message announced that Japan had accepted the Allied declaration and would end the war.
The speech was not broadcast live. NHK technicians recorded Hirohito at the Imperial Palace on the night of August 14, after cabinet discussions and repeated revisions to the text. The emperor made two recordings, and the second was selected for transmission. Army officers opposed to surrender later tried to seize the recordings and stop the broadcast, but the attempt failed.
The audio was difficult for listeners because the emperor used formal court language and spoke softly. An announcer explained afterward that the message meant Japan had surrendered. The event remains one of NHK’s most important broadcasts and a turning point in Japanese media history.