It’s not often that Japan’s emperor delivers a special address to his country’s 126 million people, as Emperor Akihito did on Monday.
He does speak twice annually, at a New Year’s speech to crowds outside the Imperial Palace and at an official commemoration of the end of the second world war on August 15.
But rarely since the advent of radio and television have Japanese emperors broadcast directly to the people. Three of the most notable times:
August 15, 1945
The 4 and a half-minute speech by Emperor Hirohito announcing Japan’s surrender in the second world war has reverberated throughout the country’s modern history. Broadcast on NHK radio, it was written in arcane language to make Hirohito sound authoritative and convincing, but which also made it difficult for many to understand. Still, when listeners heard him refer to his resolve for peace by “enduring the unendurable and suffering what is insufferable”, they understood the fighting was over. The audio recording was made secretly close to midnight, because of concern about elements opposed to ending the war. A group of young army officers did in fact storm the palace in an attempt to steal the recordings, but failed.
