What 1945 Allied declaration demanded Japan’s surrender before the formal signing aboard USS Missouri?

The Potsdam Declaration demanded Japan’s surrender before the formal signing aboard USS Missouri.

Issued on July 26, 1945, the declaration was released by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China during the Potsdam Conference. It called for the unconditional surrender of Japan’s armed forces and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused.

The document also outlined postwar conditions. Japan’s sovereignty would be limited to the home islands and other territories chosen by the Allies, its military would be disarmed, and democratic tendencies and fundamental rights would be encouraged. The declaration did not directly explain what would happen to Emperor Hirohito.

Japan’s government initially responded with mokusatsu, a term often translated as ignoring or withholding comment. After the atomic bombings and the Soviet declaration of war, Japan accepted the declaration’s terms in August. The Japanese Instrument of Surrender later incorporated those terms into the formal capitulation.