Which declaration did Emperor Hirohito say Japan had accepted in his August 15, 1945 surrender broadcast?

Emperor Hirohito said Japan had accepted the Potsdam Declaration in his August 15, 1945 surrender broadcast.

The declaration was issued on July 26, 1945, by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It set out terms for Japan's surrender, including the disarmament of Japanese forces, the removal of militarist influence, and occupation of designated points in Japanese territory. It also stated that Japan's armed forces must surrender unconditionally.

The Soviet Union was not an original issuing power because it was still formally neutral toward Japan when the declaration was released. After entering the war against Japan in August, the Soviet Union joined the declaration's enforcement context. Japan initially used the word mokusatsu in responding to the declaration, a term whose translation and intended meaning remain subjects of historical discussion.

Hirohito's broadcast announced acceptance of the declaration's terms rather than presenting a simple conversational statement of surrender. The formal legal act came later, when Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri on September 2.

The Potsdam Declaration therefore connected the emperor's radio announcement with the document signed at the Tokyo Bay ceremony.