The Potsdam Declaration demanding Japan’s surrender was issued on 26 July 1945.
The declaration was released by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China during the Potsdam Conference. It called for Japan’s unconditional surrender and warned that refusal would bring “prompt and utter destruction.” The Soviet Union was not initially a signatory because it had not yet entered the war against Japan.
Japan’s leaders did not immediately accept the declaration. The government continued to debate its options while hoping that the Soviet Union might help negotiate more favorable terms. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the Soviet declaration of war, and the bombing of Nagasaki followed in early August.
Japan eventually accepted the Potsdam terms, with the status of the emperor a central concern. Hirohito announced acceptance on 15 August, and the written surrender instrument was signed on 2 September. The declaration therefore formed the diplomatic framework for the final surrender, rather than being the surrender document itself.