Which three countries jointly issued the Potsdam Declaration demanding Japan’s surrender in July 1945?

The United States, United Kingdom, and China jointly issued the Potsdam Declaration demanding Japan’s surrender in July 1945.

The declaration was released on July 26, 1945, near the end of the Potsdam Conference. United States President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek were the leaders associated with its issuance. Churchill was soon replaced as British prime minister by Clement Attlee, but the declaration had already been released.

The Soviet Union was absent from the initial declaration because it had not yet entered the war against Japan. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin later committed the Soviet Union to join the war, and the Soviet declaration of war came on August 8. This timing is a frequent source of confusion when people list the major Allied powers in the final Pacific campaign.

The declaration demanded unconditional surrender and outlined Japan’s disarmament and territorial limitations. Japan eventually accepted its terms, with Hirohito announcing the decision on August 15 and Japanese representatives signing the formal instrument on September 2.