What Allied declaration supplied the terms Japan accepted before the 1945 surrender?

The Potsdam Declaration supplied the terms Japan accepted before its 1945 surrender.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and China issued the declaration on July 26, 1945, 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 declaration also described the intended postwar settlement. Japan’s sovereignty would be limited to the home islands and other territory chosen by the Allies, its military would be disarmed, and war criminals would face prosecution. It promised that the Japanese people would not be enslaved or destroyed as a nation.

Japan did not immediately accept the declaration. After the atomic bombings, the Soviet entry into the war, and intense debate within the Japanese leadership, Emperor Hirohito announced acceptance on August 15. The surrender instrument later incorporated the declaration’s terms.