Which declaration did Japan accept when Hirohito announced the country’s surrender in 1945?

Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration when Hirohito announced the country’s surrender in 1945.

The declaration was issued on July 26, 1945, by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and outlined broad Allied conditions for ending the war, including the elimination of Japanese militarism and the occupation of specified Japanese territory.

The Soviet Union was not an original signatory because it was still neutral toward Japan when the declaration was issued. After the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan in August, it also supported the declaration’s terms. Japan announced its acceptance through diplomatic communications in August, with Hirohito explaining the decision to the Japanese public on August 15.

The Potsdam Declaration is often confused with the Cairo Declaration of 1943. Cairo addressed Allied war aims in Asia, while Potsdam directly demanded Japan’s surrender. The surrender instrument signed on September 2 formally recorded Japan’s acceptance of the Allied conditions.