Kantarō Suzuki was Japan's prime minister when the government accepted the Allied surrender terms in 1945.
Suzuki became prime minister in April 1945, during the final months of World War II. His cabinet faced the Potsdam Declaration, the atomic bombings, the Soviet declaration of war, and intense disagreement among Japanese military and political leaders.
Suzuki supported seeking a way to end the war, but his government initially responded ambiguously to the Potsdam Declaration. The Japanese leadership eventually accepted the Allied terms after Emperor Hirohito intervened in the deadlock. Hirohito’s recorded announcement was broadcast to the Japanese public on August 15, 1945.
Suzuki resigned shortly afterward, on August 17. He should not be confused with Hideki Tojo, who had served as prime minister earlier in the war, or with Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, who became prime minister after Suzuki’s resignation.