Which 1945 declaration did Japan accept when it formally surrendered to the Allies?

Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration when it formally surrendered to the Allies in 1945.

The declaration was issued on July 26, 1945, by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China during the Potsdam Conference. It demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and outlined broad conditions for ending the war, including the disarmament of Japanese forces and the removal of militarism.

The Soviet Union later adhered to the declaration. Japan’s Instrument of Surrender, signed on September 2, explicitly stated that Japan accepted the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration.

The Cairo Declaration of 1943 also concerned Japan’s territorial future, but it was not the document Japan accepted in the surrender instrument. The Atlantic Charter addressed Allied war aims earlier in the conflict, and the Yalta Agreement dealt with several postwar arrangements. These documents are related to World War II diplomacy but are not interchangeable.