The Potsdam Declaration demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender on July 26, 1945.
The declaration was issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China during the Potsdam Conference in Germany. It warned Japan that rejecting the demand would bring “prompt and utter destruction,” while also outlining broad Allied goals for Japan’s postwar political future.
Japan did not immediately accept the declaration. The Soviet Union was not initially a signatory because it was still formally neutral in the war against Japan. After the Soviet Union entered the conflict in August, it joined the Allies’ war against Japan but did not add its signature to the original declaration.
The declaration became central to the surrender process. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war, and intense debate among Japan’s leaders, the Japanese government accepted the Potsdam terms. The surrender instrument later referred directly to Japan’s commitment to carry out those terms.