Seventy years ago Friday, millions in Japan — factory and office workers in big cities, farmers in isolated rural communities — huddled around radios for what was to be a major announcement.
It was the first time most had ever heard Emperor Hirohito speak.
There was intense static in the broadcast for many, and the emperor spoke in an archaic version of the Japanese language, using verb tenses unrecognizable to the average citizen, said Samuel H. Yamashita, a professor of history at Pomona College.
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