Emperor Hirohito Was The One Who Announced Japan’s Surrender

Following the September 1945 atomic bombings of Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allied Forces was declared by Hirohito. During World War II, Japan suffered a total loss of 2.3 million soldiers and over 100,000 civilians. For the first time ever, an emperor broke the imperial quiet and spoke aloud on the radio. On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito informed the Japanese people of Japan's capitulation. The Japanese people were still waiting for an authorized voice to declare the unutterable, that Japan had been defeated, even though Tokyo had already informed the Allies that it accepted the surrender terms of the Potsdam Conference many days earlier.

Hirohito's position as emperor had been a contentious issue in the terms of the Japanese surrender. The Allies desired no conditions; Tokyo wanted the status of the emperor to be safeguarded. A deal was reached. Gen. Douglas MacArthur believed the emperor's presence in postwar Japan would be a stabilizing force at the very least in ceremonial capacity, thus he kept his title. However, Hirohito was compelled to deny his heavenly status. Japan lost a god, not just a battle.