Which 1945 Allied ultimatum set the surrender terms Japan accepted before V-J Day?

The Potsdam Declaration set the surrender terms that Japan accepted before V-J Day.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and China issued the declaration on 26 July 1945 during the Potsdam Conference. It called on Japan to surrender its armed forces and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused. The declaration also described major postwar conditions, including disarmament, occupation of selected Japanese territory, and limits on Japan’s sovereignty.

The document did not directly settle the future status of Emperor Hirohito. That omission contributed to uncertainty in Japan, where leaders wanted assurances about the imperial institution. After debate within the Japanese government and the emperor’s intervention, Japan accepted the declaration’s terms in August.

The Potsdam Declaration is distinct from the Cairo Declaration, which had been issued in 1943 and addressed the territorial aims of the Allies. It is also different from the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, the document signed aboard USS Missouri on 2 September. The declaration supplied the conditions; the instrument recorded the capitulation.