What 1945 Allied declaration demanded Japan’s surrender before the final ceremony?

The Potsdam Declaration demanded Japan’s surrender before the final ceremony.

Issued on July 26, 1945, the declaration set out the Allied terms for ending the war with Japan. It was issued by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek, whose message was released from the Potsdam Conference.

The declaration called for the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces and warned that refusal would bring “prompt and utter destruction.” The Soviet Union did not sign it at Potsdam because it was not yet at war with Japan, but it later agreed to adhere to the declaration.

Japan’s government eventually accepted the declaration’s terms after intense internal debate, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Soviet entry into the war against Japan. Emperor Hirohito’s August 15 broadcast announced that decision, and the September 2 signing formally documented it.