Which 1945 declaration set the Allied terms for Japan’s surrender in World War II?

The 1945 declaration that set the Allied terms for Japan’s surrender was the Potsdam Declaration.

The United States, United Kingdom, and China issued it on July 26, 1945, during the Potsdam Conference in Germany. The Soviet Union was not yet at war with Japan and therefore was not an original signatory. The declaration demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused.

Its terms called for Japan’s disarmament, the removal of militarist leadership, the punishment of war criminals, and the occupation of selected Japanese territory. It also stated that Japanese sovereignty would be limited mainly to the four principal islands and other islands designated by the Allies.

Japan initially rejected the declaration publicly. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet entry into the Pacific War, Japan accepted its terms. Emperor Hirohito’s August 15 broadcast referred to accepting the Allied “joint declaration,” meaning the Potsdam Declaration.