Who announced Japan's surrender in a recorded radio address on August 15, 1945?

Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in a recorded radio address on August 15, 1945.

The broadcast was the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War. Hirohito told the Japanese people that the government had accepted the provisions of the Allied declaration, although he did not use the ordinary word “surrender” directly in the speech.

For many listeners, it was the first time they had ever heard the emperor’s voice. The announcement was delivered in formal Classical Japanese, and the recording’s poor sound quality made it difficult for many people to understand. A radio announcer clarified afterward that Japan had surrendered.

The speech was recorded at the Imperial Palace on August 14 and broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15. The formal surrender ceremony followed on September 2 aboard USS Missouri.