What Allied ultimatum did Japan accept before signing its surrender in World War II?

Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration before signing its surrender in World War II.

Issued on July 26, 1945, the declaration set out the Allied terms for ending the war against Japan. It was issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, and warned that rejection would bring “prompt and utter destruction.” The Soviet Union was not yet at war with Japan when the declaration was first released.

The declaration demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan’s armed forces and called for the elimination of militarism, the occupation of designated Japanese territory, and the punishment of war criminals. It also stated that the Japanese people would not be enslaved or destroyed as a nation.

After the atomic bombings and the Soviet declaration of war, Japan accepted the declaration’s terms in August. Hirohito’s broadcast referred to accepting the joint declaration. The Potsdam Declaration was therefore the political framework for surrender, while the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the document signed at the ceremony.