The United States, Britain, and China issued the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945.
The declaration called on Japan to surrender unconditionally and outlined the consequences of continued resistance. It promised that Japan would be disarmed and occupied, while also stating that the Japanese people would not be enslaved or destroyed as a nation. The statement demanded the elimination of militarism and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused.
The declaration was issued during the Potsdam Conference in Germany, where Allied leaders were discussing the postwar order and the final defeat of Japan. The Soviet Union did not initially sign it because it was still formally neutral in the war against Japan; it declared war on Japan on August 8.
Japan did not immediately accept the declaration. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet entry into the war, Japan accepted its terms in August. The formal surrender followed on September 2.