Mokusatsu was the term associated with Japan’s controversial public response to the Potsdam Declaration in 1945.
After the United States, the United Kingdom, and China issued the declaration on July 26, Japanese Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki told reporters that the government would treat it with mokusatsu. The Japanese word can be interpreted in more than one way, including “to withhold comment” or “to treat with silent contempt.”
Some wartime translations rendered the statement as Japan rejecting or ignoring the Allied demand. Historians have debated how accurately that interpretation reflected the Japanese government’s intentions and the complexity of its internal discussions.
The term is important because Japan did not immediately accept the declaration. After the atomic bombings, the Soviet declaration of war, and further cabinet deliberations, Emperor Hirohito supported acceptance of the Allied terms. The formal surrender followed on September 2.