Which phrase did the Potsdam Declaration demand from Japan's armed forces in July 1945?

The Potsdam Declaration demanded unconditional surrender from Japan's armed forces in July 1945.

Issued on July 26, 1945, the declaration called on the Japanese government to proclaim the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces and provide assurances that it would carry out the decision. It presented “prompt and utter destruction” as the alternative to compliance.

The phrase did not mean that every detail of Japan's future government was fully specified. The declaration outlined occupation, disarmament, war-crimes prosecutions, and territorial limits, but it did not directly state what would happen to Emperor Hirohito. That omission became a central concern in Japanese debates.

Japan later accepted the declaration, with the surrender instrument explicitly acknowledging its terms. The surrender was therefore not merely a ceasefire. It was a capitulation in which Japan agreed to disarm and submit to Allied authority, followed by the occupation and reconstruction of the country.