Which Allied declaration did Japan announce it had accepted in Hirohito’s 1945 surrender broadcast?

Japan announced that it had accepted the Potsdam Declaration in Hirohito’s 1945 surrender broadcast.

The Potsdam Declaration was issued 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 Japan’s postwar future, including disarmament and the removal of militarism.

The Soviet Union was not an original signatory because it was still bound by its neutrality pact with Japan when the declaration was issued. After the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan in August, it joined the Allied position. Hirohito’s broadcast referred to the declaration as a “joint declaration.”

Japan’s acceptance did not immediately mean that every soldier stopped fighting or that the surrender ceremony had occurred. The announcement began the process, while the formal legal surrender was signed aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.