Which declaration did Japan accept in Emperor Hirohito’s 1945 surrender message?

Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration in Emperor Hirohito’s 1945 surrender message.

The declaration was issued at Potsdam on July 26, 1945, by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and outlined broad Allied aims, including the elimination of Japanese militarism and the occupation of Japan until those aims were achieved.

The Soviet Union was not an original signatory because it was still formally neutral in the war against Japan when the declaration was issued. After the Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8, it joined the other Allied powers in the conflict.

Hirohito’s broadcast referred to accepting the “joint declaration,” rather than naming surrender in a simple sentence. The government’s acceptance of the Potsdam terms became the basis for the formal Instrument of Surrender signed aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.