Which declaration did Japan accept when it surrendered in August 1945?

Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration when it surrendered in August 1945.

The declaration was issued on 26 July 1945 by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. It demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused. The Soviet Union joined the war against Japan later, after the declaration had been issued.

The document called for Japan’s military disarmament, the removal of militarist influence, and occupation of designated Japanese territory. It also promised that the Japanese people would not be enslaved or destroyed, while requiring the elimination of institutions that had led to aggression.

After Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Soviet entry into the war, Japan notified the Allies that it accepted the declaration’s terms. The formal surrender instrument signed on 2 September repeated that acceptance and gave the declaration its legal place in the end of the conflict.