Which Allied declaration did Japan’s government agree to accept before announcing surrender in August 1945?

Japan’s government agreed to accept the Potsdam Declaration before announcing surrender in August 1945.

The declaration was issued on July 26, 1945, by United States President Harry S. Truman, United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek. It called for the surrender of Japan’s armed forces and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused.

The Soviet Union did not initially sign the declaration because it was not yet at war with Japan. After the Soviet declaration of war on August 8, the Soviet government accepted the declaration’s terms as well.

Emperor Hirohito’s August 15 broadcast said that Japan’s government had been instructed to accept the declaration. The formal surrender document later required Japan to implement its provisions. The declaration therefore connected the diplomatic ultimatum of July with the surrender announcement and ceremony that followed in August and September.