Which Japanese wartime council authorized acceptance of the Allied surrender terms in 1945?

The Supreme Council for the Direction of the War authorized acceptance of the Allied surrender terms in 1945.

This six-member body, often called the Big Six, was Japan’s highest wartime decision-making group. It included the prime minister, foreign minister, army minister, navy minister, and the chiefs of the army and navy general staffs.

The council debated whether Japan should accept the Potsdam Declaration after the atomic bombings and the Soviet entry into the war. Emperor Hirohito intervened when the leadership remained divided and supported accepting the Allied terms. The government then communicated its decision and arranged the formal surrender.

The council should not be confused with Imperial General Headquarters, which directed military operations. Nor was the Imperial Diet the body that made the surrender decision. The council’s role shows how the military and civilian leadership shared responsibility for wartime policy.