Hirohito was Japan’s emperor during the 1945 surrender and its famous radio address.
Hirohito reigned from 1926 until his death in 1989. During World War II, he was the constitutional and symbolic head of the Japanese state, and in August 1945 he took part in the decision to accept the Allied surrender terms.
His recorded speech, broadcast on 15 August, was the first time many ordinary Japanese people had heard the emperor’s voice. The formal Classical Japanese language and poor recording quality made the message difficult for many listeners to understand immediately.
Hirohito’s reign was later known as the Shōwa era, so he is also called Emperor Shōwa. He was not prosecuted at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. After the war, Japan’s 1947 constitution redefined the emperor as a symbol of the state and the unity of the people.