The Allied declaration demanding Japan’s surrender was issued in Potsdam, Germany, on 26 July 1945.
The Potsdam Declaration was released during the Potsdam Conference, which was held near Berlin after Germany’s defeat. The United States, the United Kingdom, and China called on Japan to surrender its armed forces and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if it refused. President Harry S. Truman, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek were associated with its issuance.
The declaration outlined major postwar conditions, including the limitation of Japanese sovereignty to the home islands and selected smaller islands. It also demanded the disarmament of Japan’s military and the elimination of leaders who had pursued expansionist war. Japan initially rejected or ignored the declaration publicly. After the atomic bombings and the Soviet declaration of war, Japan accepted its terms, leading eventually to the formal signing of the Instrument of Surrender.