Japan notified the Allies of its intention to surrender on August 10, 1945, subject to preserving the emperor’s position.
The decision followed the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the Soviet declaration of war, and the invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria. Emperor Hirohito authorized Foreign Minister Shigenori Tōgō to communicate Japan’s conditional acceptance through Swiss diplomatic channels.
Japan’s condition referred to the emperor’s status and prerogatives. The Allies replied on August 11 that Hirohito would be subject to the authority of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. This exchange preceded the emperor’s recorded announcement to the Japanese public.
August 10 is sometimes confused with August 15, when Hirohito’s surrender broadcast was heard in Japan, or September 2, when Japan formally signed the surrender instrument aboard USS Missouri. The earlier date marks the diplomatic notification, not the public announcement or formal ceremony.