What declaration did Japan announce it had accepted in Hirohito’s 15 August 1945 broadcast?

Japan’s 15 August 1945 broadcast announced acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration.

The Potsdam Declaration, issued by the United States, United Kingdom, and China on 26 July 1945, demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and outlined terms for ending the war. The Soviet Union later joined the war against Japan but was not an original signatory of the declaration.

Emperor Hirohito’s radio message used formal Classical Japanese and did not simply say, in everyday language, that Japan had surrendered. Instead, it stated that the government had accepted the terms of the joint declaration. A follow-up announcer clarified the meaning for listeners.

The broadcast followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war. It was heard by the Japanese public at noon on 15 August, while the formal surrender document was signed on 2 September.