The , was a radio broadcast of surrender given by Hirohito, the emperor of Japan, on August 15, 1945.

It announced to the Japanese people that the Japanese government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded the unconditional surrender of the Japanese military at the end of World War II. Following the Hiroshima bombing on August 6, and the Soviet declaration of war and Nagasaki bombing on August 9, the Emperor's speech was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, 1945, and referred to the atomic bombs as a reason for the surrender.

The speech is the first known instance of a Japanese emperor speaking to the common people (albeit via a phonograph record). It was delivered in formal Classical Japanese, with much pronunciation unfamiliar to ordinary Japanese. The speech made no direct reference to a surrender of Japan, instead stating that the government had been instructed to accept the "joint declaration" (the Potsdam Declaration) of the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and the Soviet Union. This confused many listeners not familiar with the declaration about whether Japan had actually surrendered. Both the poor audio quality of the radio broadcast and the formal courtly language worsened the confusion.

Background

Following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the declaration of war by the Soviet Union on Japan, Emperor Hirohito met with the Supreme War Council in the early morning of 10 August 1945. Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki asked Hirohito for an imperial command to break the deadlock for an unconditional surrender. Hirohito then stated softly that he did not believe that his nation could continue to fight a war and concluded that "the time has come when we must bear the unbearable. ... I swallow my own tears and give my sanction to the proposal to accept the Allied proclamation."

On the morning of 10 August, the Japanese Foreign Ministry transmitted a response to the Allies, offering to accept the terms with the understanding that it did not "comprise any demand which prejudices the prerogatives of His Majesty as a Sovereign Ruler", to which U.S. insisted that "the authority of the Emperor and the Japanese Government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied powers who will take such steps as he deems proper to effectuate the surrender terms." The Japanese offer of surrender and the Allied response were known only to high government officials. On the morning of 11 August, newspapers carried a statement in the name of General Korechika Anami and addressed to the army that "The only thing for us to do is fight doggedly to the end ... though it may mean chewing grass, eating dirt and sleeping in the field."

Marquis Kōichi Kido, Hirohito's closest advisor, later recorded in his diary that Allies leaflet dropping that carried the news of their diplomatic exchange had caused him to be "stricken with consternation" over the likely possibility of a military coup. At Kido's frantic urging, the emperor held another meeting, where he issued an imperial command that a rescript announcing the termination of the war be prepared as soon as possible. Hirohito knew that a publication of the rescript would not be enough to convince the military to surrender, thereby made the decision to directly address the nation by voice. During the first recording, he spoke too softly, and upon the advice of the technicians, offered to rerecord it. On the second attempt, his voice was considered too high-pitched, with occasional characters being skipped. Nevertheless, the second version was deemed the official one, with the first serving as a backup.

Broadcast

Many elements of the Imperial Japanese Army refused to accept that Hirohito was going to end the war, believing it dishonourable. As many as 1,000 officers and army soldiers raided the Imperial Palace on the evening of August 14, 1945 to destroy the recording. The rebels were confused by the layout of the palace and unable to find the recordings, which had been placed in a safe in a small office used by a member of the empress's retinue and later hidden in a pile of documents. The two phonographs were labelled original and copy and successfully smuggled out of the palace, the original in a lacquer box and the copy in a lunch bag. In the early hours of 15 August, rebellious soldiers led by Major Kenji Hatanaka attempted to halt the broadcast at the NHK station, but was ordered to desist by the Eastern District Army. They had seized the building, detained the NHK staff and attempted to broadcast a message urging continued resistance. An officer even threatened announcer Morio Tateno at gunpoint in an attempt to take over the morning broadcast, but Tateno refused. The engineers were then forced to disable all radio transmission. With the coup suppressed, NHK engineers, holding out in the palace for the entire night safely transported recordings of the emperor's rescript to the station.

On the evening of August 14, 1945, all NHK stations announced that the Emperor would address the nation at noon on 15 August. At 7:21 a.m., Tateno formally announced that the rescript would be broadcast at noon, instructing the public to prepare to listen. Many people wore formal clothes for the occasion. Mimeographed copies of the emperor's text were relayed to newspapers, with a publication embargo until after the emperor's broadcast. Reportedly, this was the first time that common Japanese had heard the voice of any Japanese Emperor and the first radio address by the Emperor.

To ease the anticipated confusion, after the conclusion of the speech, a radio announcer clarified that the Emperor's message had meant that Japan was surrendering. According to French journalist Robert Guillain, who then lived in Tokyo, upon the announcement's conclusion, most Japanese retreated to their homes or places of business for several hours to quietly absorb and contemplate the significance of the announcement. A digitally remastered version of the broadcast was released in June 2015.

Content

Though the word "surrender" () was not explicitly used, Emperor Hirohito instructed Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki and his cabinet to communicate to the Allies that the "Empire accepts the provisions of their joint declaration", which amounted to an acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recorded the broadcast, and its entire text appeared in The New York Times.

Full text

right|thumb|Single page print of the Rescript, again with the [[Privy Seal of Japan|Privy Seal]]

Original text

Literally translated into English:

Official English translation

Source:

To strive for the common prosperity and happiness of all nations as well as the security and well-being of our subjects is the solemn obligation which has been handed down by our imperial ancestors and which lies close to our heart.

Indeed, we declared war on America and Britain out of our sincere desire to ensure Japan's self-preservation and the stabilization of East Asia, it being far from our thought either to infringe upon the sovereignty of other nations or to embark upon territorial aggrandizement.

But now the war has lasted for nearly four years. Despite the best that has been done by everyone – the gallant fighting of the military and naval forces, the diligence and assiduity of our servants of the state, and the devoted service of our one hundred million people – the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage, while the general trends of the world have all turned against her interest.

Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization.

Such being the case, how are we to save the millions of our subjects, or to atone ourselves before the hallowed spirits of our imperial ancestors? This is the reason why we have ordered the acceptance of the provisions of the joint declaration of the powers.

We cannot but express the deepest sense of regret to our allied nations of East Asia, who have consistently cooperated with the Empire towards the emancipation of East Asia.

The thought of those officers and men as well as others who have fallen in the fields of battle, those who died at their posts of duty, or those who met with untimely death and all their bereaved families, pains our heart night and day.

The welfare of the wounded and the war-sufferers, and of those who have lost their homes and livelihood, are the objects of our profound solicitude.

The hardships and sufferings to which our nation is to be subjected hereafter will be certainly great. We are keenly aware of the inmost feelings of all of you, our subjects. However, it is according to the dictates of time and fate that We have resolved to pave the way for a grand peace for all the generations to come by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is insufferable.

Having been able to safeguard and maintain the , We are always with you, our good and loyal subjects, relying upon your sincerity and integrity.

Beware most strictly of any outbursts of emotion which may engender needless complications, or any fraternal contention and strife which may create confusion, lead you astray and cause you to lose the confidence of the world.

Let the entire nation continue as one family from generation to generation, ever firm in its faith in the imperishability of its sacred land, and mindful of its heavy burden of responsibility, and of the long road before it.

Unite your total strength, to be devoted to construction for the future. And cultivate the ways of rectitude, foster nobility of spirit, and work with resolution – so that you all may enhance the innate glory of the imperial state and keep pace with the progress of the world.

70px|alt=Hirohito

100px|alt=(Privy Seal)

Tokyo, August 14, 1945 (20th year of Shōwa) |sign= Prime Minister of the Empire Kantarō Suzuki|source=

Media releases

  • Book includes a CD.
  • Book includes a CD.

See also

  • Surrender of Japan

Notes

References

</references>

  • Audio recording of entire speech, in Japanese
  • Photo containing English text of the Emperor's declaration
  • "Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender Issued, at Potsdam, July 26, 1945", Birth of the Constitution of Japan, National Diet Library
  • "The Emperor's Speech: 67 Years Ago, Hirohito Transformed Japan Forever", The Atlantic, August 15, 2012, by Max Fisher