The Potsdam Declaration outlining Japan’s surrender terms was issued in Potsdam in July 1945.
The declaration was released on July 26, 1945, during the Potsdam Conference near Berlin. United States President Harry S. Truman, United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek announced the terms. The Soviet Union was not an original signatory because it had not yet entered the war against Japan.
The statement demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan’s armed forces and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused. It also described the future limits of Japanese sovereignty, disarmament, and the removal of militaristic influence.
The declaration did not explicitly settle the future status of Emperor Hirohito. That omission contributed to uncertainty in Tokyo, where Japanese leaders debated whether the imperial institution could survive surrender. Japan eventually accepted the declaration’s terms in August, subject to the understanding that the emperor’s position would be preserved. The surrender instrument signed in September then formalized the end of hostilities.