The Gyokuon-hōsō (玉音放送), also known as the Imperial Rescript on Surrender, was the Imperial broadcast announcement in which the Japanese emperor Hirohito addressed the Japanese public concerning the unconditional surrender of the Japanese military at the end of World War II at noon Japan standard time on August 15, 1945.
It marked the first time in history that an emperor of Japan had spoken directly, albeit via an phonograph record broadcast over radio, to the common people.
The speech was delivered in a formal, somewhat archaic Japanese used only by the old Imperial Court. Because of this, it was not completely understood by those who heard it.
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See also: History of Japan, World War II, Hirohito