Which document did the Allies issue in July 1945 demanding Japan’s surrender?

The Potsdam Declaration was the document the Allies issued in July 1945 demanding Japan’s surrender.

The declaration was released on July 26, 1945, during the Potsdam Conference in Germany. It was issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, and called for the unconditional surrender of Japan’s armed forces. It warned that refusal would bring “prompt and utter destruction.”

The Soviet Union did not sign the declaration because it was still formally neutral in the war against Japan at that time. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8, after the United States had dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and shortly before the Nagasaki bombing.

Japan’s government initially responded with mokusatsu, a term often translated as “ignore” or “withhold comment.” After further military and political developments, Japan accepted the declaration’s terms, leading to Hirohito’s August 15 broadcast and the September 2 surrender ceremony.