The Potsdam Declaration set out the Allied terms for Japan’s surrender on 26 July 1945.
The United States, the United Kingdom, and China issued the declaration during the Potsdam Conference. It called on Japan to surrender its armed forces and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused. The declaration also described the intended postwar settlement, including occupation, disarmament, punishment of war criminals, and limits on Japanese sovereignty.
The Soviet Union did not sign the original declaration because it was still officially neutral in the war against Japan at that moment. The Soviet Union later joined the declaration after entering the war against Japan in August. Japan initially did not accept the ultimatum publicly, but its government ultimately agreed to its terms after intense internal debate, the atomic bombings, and the Soviet entry into the war. Emperor Hirohito’s broadcast announced acceptance on 15 August, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed on 2 September.