The voice that endured the unbearable - the melody of the end in the summer of 1945

The voice that endured the unbearable - the melody of the end in the summer of 1945

The Gyokon Hoso was a radio broadcast by the Showa Emperor at noon on August 15, 1945, and was a historic event that officially announced the end of the Pacific War (Greater East Asia War) to the Japanese people. The broadcast was the Emperor's reading of the "Imperial Rescript on the End of the Greater East Asia War," which announced to the Japanese people that Japan had accepted the Potsdam Declaration and surrendered to the Allied Powers. The Gyokuon Housou was the first time the Emperor's voice was made public, and was greeted with shock and consternation by many of the Japanese people.

The broadcast was made using pre-recorded audio, or "Tamaneban," and transmitted nationwide via NHK Radio No. 1. The content of the broadcast was written in the Chinese literary style, which was very difficult for ordinary people to understand at the time, but the words "Endure the unbearable and bear the unbearable..." were deeply engraved in the memories of many people.

The recording took place in the Imperial Palace late at night on August 14, the day before the broadcast, but some soldiers opposed to the end of the war attempted a coup d'etat known as the "Miyagi Incident" in an attempt to seize the recording of the Gyokuonban. However, this plan ended in failure, and the disc was safely protected and broadcast at noon the next day.

The broadcast was the first opportunity to directly inform the public of the reality of the war's end, and had a major impact on the postwar values of the Japanese people and their sense of peace. With this broadcast, the long war came to an end and Japan entered a new era.

Even today, the audio of the broadcast is available on the Imperial Household Agency's website, allowing the public to hear the voice of the Showa Emperor. The Gyokuon Hoso-broadcast is also deeply engraved in the memory of the Japanese people, as evidenced by the annual national war memorial service held on August 15 and the moment of silence offered at noon.

Behind it lies the Potsdam Declaration issued by the Allied Powers on July 26, 1945. In response to this declaration, which called for Japan's unconditional surrender, the Japanese government expressed its silent rejection on July 28, showing its stance to continue the war. However, the war was decisively disrupted when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, followed by another on Nagasaki on August 9, and the Soviet Union broke the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact and entered the war earlier the same day.

At the Imperial Conference held from the night of August 9 to the early morning of August 10, Emperor Showa personally expressed his intention to accept the Potsdam Declaration. This policy of acceptance, which was conditional on the preservation of the national polity, was conveyed to the Allied Powers on August 10, and on August 13 they responded by implicitly recognizing the continuation of the Emperor System. In response, another Imperial Conference and Cabinet meeting were held on August 14, and the surrender was officially decided.

That same night, the Emperor's reading of the Imperial Rescript of the End of the War was recorded, and preparations were made for a radio broadcast. However, late at night, the Miyagi Incident occurred, and some officers, attempting to sabotage the broadcast, broke into the Imperial Palace in an attempt to seize the recording. The disc was hidden under the floor and protected by the Ministry of the Imperial Household. After overcoming this incident, which ended in an unsuccessful attempt, the broadcast of the Gyokuon-bulletin was finally broadcast nationwide at noon on August 15.

Thus, the people of Japan learned of the end of the war directly from the mouth of the Emperor. This broadcast remains deeply engraved in history not only as a shocking reminder of the defeat, but also as an event that symbolized the relationship between the emperor and the people and the starting point of postwar Japan.