Which 1945 Allied declaration demanded Japan's unconditional surrender before its capitulation?

The Potsdam Declaration was the 1945 Allied declaration that demanded Japan's unconditional surrender before its capitulation. It was issued on July 26, 1945.

The declaration came from the United States, United Kingdom and China during the Potsdam Conference. It warned Japan that refusal would bring “prompt and utter destruction” and set out broad conditions for ending the war.

Japan initially responded with mokusatsu, a term often translated as ignoring or withholding comment. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war, Japan accepted the declaration's terms in August.

The Potsdam Declaration is sometimes confused with the Cairo Declaration of 1943, which described Allied goals for territories taken by Japan. The Potsdam text directly demanded the surrender of Japanese armed forces and became the stated basis for the 1945 surrender.