Which declaration did Japan accept in Emperor Hirohito's surrender broadcast?

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

The declaration was issued on July 26, 1945, by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and warned that refusal would bring “prompt and utter destruction.” The Soviet Union later joined the war against Japan but was not an original signatory of the declaration.

Hirohito’s August 15 address stated that Japan had been instructed to accept the declaration’s terms. The speech used formal and indirect language, so radio listeners did not always immediately understand that it announced surrender.

The Potsdam Declaration should not be confused with the Cairo Declaration of 1943, which addressed Allied goals concerning territories taken by Japan. The Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed in September, was the separate document that formally recorded Japan’s capitulation.