Which 1945 Allied declaration did Japan accept when it announced its surrender?

Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration when it announced its 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 warned that refusal would bring prompt and severe destruction. The Soviet Union was not initially a signatory because it was still neutral toward Japan at that point.

Japan’s leaders did not immediately accept the declaration. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war, and intense internal debate, Emperor Hirohito supported acceptance. The Japanese government transmitted its decision through diplomatic channels before the emperor’s public broadcast.

The declaration also outlined broad postwar conditions, including disarmament, occupation of Japan until peace was secured, and limitation of Japanese sovereignty. Accepting it led to the formal surrender ceremony, but it did not itself constitute the signed capitulation document.