Which declaration issued on 26 July 1945 called for Japan's surrender before the atomic bombings?

The Potsdam Declaration, issued on 26 July 1945, called for Japan's surrender before the atomic bombings.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and China issued the declaration during the Potsdam Conference. It demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan's armed forces and warned that refusal would bring “prompt and utter destruction.” The declaration also outlined broad conditions for Japan's defeat, disarmament, and postwar reconstruction.

The Soviet Union did not sign the declaration because it was still formally neutral in the war against Japan when the document was issued. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on 8 August 1945, after the Hiroshima bombing and shortly before the Nagasaki bombing.

The Potsdam Declaration is distinct from the Cairo Declaration of 1943, which addressed Allied aims concerning Japan's territories, and from the Yalta Agreement, which included secret arrangements concerning Soviet participation in the war against Japan. Japan ultimately accepted the Potsdam terms in August.