What was the name of the declaration whose terms Japan accepted before its formal surrender in 1945?

Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration before its formal surrender in 1945.

The declaration was issued on July 26, 1945, by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and outlined the Allies’ goals for ending Japanese militarism, limiting Japan’s territory, and establishing conditions for a peaceful postwar order.

The Soviet Union was not a signatory when the declaration was first issued because it was still neutral toward Japan. After the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan in August 1945, it joined the declaration’s demands. Japan’s government accepted the terms in August, with the emperor’s broadcast to the public following on August 15.

The Potsdam Declaration is distinct from the Cairo Declaration of 1943, which also discussed Allied aims in Asia but addressed broader wartime objectives. Acceptance of the Potsdam terms did not itself complete the legal surrender; that required the signed Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri on September 2.