Which Allied ultimatum did Japan accept in the surrender announcement of August 1945?

Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration in its August 1945 surrender announcement.

The declaration was issued on July 26, 1945, by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It outlined the terms for Japan’s surrender and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused them.

Its terms called for the disarmament of Japanese forces, the occupation of designated points in Japan, and the removal of authority associated with military expansion. It also stated that Japanese sovereignty would be limited to the four main islands and other islands chosen by the Allies.

Emperor Hirohito’s broadcast said that Japan had accepted the provisions of the Allies’ joint declaration. The formal surrender document signed on September 2 then incorporated the surrender terms. The Cairo Declaration, issued in 1943, concerned the general Allied aims for territories taken from Japan but was not the 1945 surrender ultimatum.