What Allied declaration did Japan agree to accept before the 1945 surrender ceremony?

Japan agreed to accept the Potsdam Declaration before the 1945 surrender ceremony.

The declaration was issued on 26 July 1945 by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It demanded the surrender of Japan’s armed forces and warned that refusal would bring “prompt and utter destruction.”

The document outlined broad Allied goals, including eliminating militarism, occupying selected Japanese territory, disarming Japan, and limiting Japanese sovereignty to the home islands and other islands designated by the Allies.

The declaration did not explicitly settle the future status of Emperor Hirohito. That omission contributed to uncertainty during the surrender discussions. Japan’s acceptance was announced by Hirohito on 15 August, and the conditions were then incorporated into the Japanese Instrument of Surrender signed on USS Missouri on 2 September.