Which Allied declaration did Japan accept in Emperor Hirohito’s August 15, 1945 broadcast?

Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration in Emperor Hirohito’s August 15, 1945 broadcast.

The declaration was issued at Potsdam, Germany, on July 26, 1945, by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and outlined the Allies’ broad goals for the country’s postwar future. The Soviet Union joined the declaration after entering the war against Japan, although it was not among the original issuing governments.

Hirohito’s broadcast used the phrase “joint declaration” rather than naming the Potsdam Declaration in a way every listener would immediately recognize. The imperial message explained that Japan had decided to accept its terms. The declaration is sometimes confused with the Cairo Declaration of 1943, which also addressed Japan’s wartime aggression and territorial future, but the Potsdam Declaration directly presented the 1945 surrender demand. Japan’s formal acceptance was later embodied in the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.