Which 1945 declaration stated the Allied terms that Japan was asked to accept?

The Potsdam Declaration stated the Allied terms that Japan was asked to accept in 1945.

The declaration was issued on July 26, 1945, during the Potsdam Conference. Its signatories were the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and warned that refusal would result in “prompt and utter destruction.”

The declaration also described broad postwar objectives, including the removal of Japanese militarism, the limitation of Japanese sovereignty, and the establishment of conditions for peace. It referred to the Cairo Declaration and promised that Japan would not be permitted to retain territories acquired through aggression.

Japan’s government initially did not give an immediate acceptance. After the atomic bombings, the Soviet declaration of war, and intense internal debate, Japan accepted the terms in August. The Potsdam Declaration is therefore not the surrender document itself; it was the statement of conditions that Japan agreed to follow.