What Allied declaration set the terms Japan accepted when it surrendered in 1945?

The Potsdam Declaration set the terms Japan accepted when it surrendered in 1945.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and China issued the declaration on July 26, 1945. It called for the unconditional surrender of Japan’s armed forces and warned that refusal would bring “prompt and utter destruction.” The document also outlined the occupation and disarmament of Japan.

The declaration stated that Japanese sovereignty would be limited to the home islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and smaller islands determined by the Allies. It also required the elimination of militarist influence and promised that Japanese forces would eventually be allowed to return home after disarmament.

Japan initially rejected the declaration publicly. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war, the Japanese government accepted the Allied terms in August. The formal surrender document signed on September 2 referred directly to the Potsdam Declaration.