Which Allied declaration did Japan formally accept in Emperor Hirohito's 1945 surrender broadcast?

Japan formally accepted the Potsdam Declaration in Emperor 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 warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused. The Soviet Union joined the declaration after entering the war against Japan, although it was not an original signatory.

Hirohito's August 15 broadcast announced that Japan had accepted the declaration's terms. The wording was formal and indirect, so some listeners did not immediately understand that the country had surrendered. The later Instrument of Surrender, signed on September 2, recorded Japan's acceptance in a formal legal document.

The Potsdam Declaration is sometimes confused with the Cairo Declaration, issued in 1943, which set broader Allied aims concerning territories taken by Japan. The Atlantic Charter was a 1941 statement of Anglo-American principles, while the Treaty of Versailles followed World War I and was unrelated to Japan's 1945 surrender.