Which declaration did Japan agree to accept in Hirohito’s 15 August 1945 surrender announcement?

Japan agreed to accept the Potsdam Declaration in Hirohito’s 15 August 1945 surrender announcement.

The declaration, issued at Potsdam on 26 July 1945, demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender and outlined conditions for ending the war. It was issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China; the Soviet Union joined the declaration after entering the war against Japan.

Hirohito’s broadcast stated that the Japanese government had been ordered to notify the Allies that it accepted the joint declaration. Because the emperor used indirect language and did not plainly say “Japan surrenders,” some listeners were initially uncertain about the announcement’s meaning.

The Potsdam Declaration should not be confused with the Cairo Declaration of 1943, which addressed Allied aims concerning Japan and territories taken by aggression. The later Instrument of Surrender formally implemented Japan’s capitulation.