Which Allied proclamation did Japan accept when it agreed to surrender in 1945?

Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration when it agreed to surrender in 1945.

Issued on July 26, 1945, the declaration set out Allied terms for Japan’s surrender. The United States, United Kingdom, and China called for the unconditional surrender of Japanese armed forces and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused.

The document also described postwar objectives, including disarmament, punishment of war criminals, occupation of selected Japanese territory, and the limitation of Japanese sovereignty. It did not directly state what would happen to Emperor Hirohito, an omission that contributed to uncertainty in Japan.

The Potsdam Declaration should not be confused with the Cairo Declaration of 1943, which addressed territorial aims involving Japan, or the Yalta agreements, which included secret arrangements concerning Soviet entry into the war against Japan.