Which declaration’s surrender terms did Japan accept before signing the 1945 Instrument of Surrender?

Japan accepted the surrender terms of the Potsdam Declaration before signing the 1945 Instrument of Surrender.

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 the Allies’ intended postwar objectives, including the elimination of Japanese militarism and the occupation of Japanese territory until the stated aims were achieved.

The declaration warned Japan of “prompt and utter destruction” if it refused. Japan’s government initially did not accept the terms, and the war continued. The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan in August. These developments intensified the crisis within Japan’s leadership.

After Hirohito intervened, Japan announced acceptance of the declaration’s terms on August 15. The formal signing on September 2 converted that decision into the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The Potsdam Declaration is sometimes confused with the Cairo Declaration, which had been issued in 1943 and addressed Allied objectives concerning Japan before the final phase of the war.