Potsdam Declaration, ultimatum issued by the United States, Great Britain, and China on July 26, 1945, calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan. The declaration was made at the Potsdam Conference near the end of World War II.
Two months after Germany surrendered, Allied leaders gathered in Potsdam, Germany, to discuss peace settlements, among other issues. However, although the European phase of the conflict had ended, the war continued in the Pacific theatre as Japan remained committed to fighting. U.S. Pres. Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek thus drafted a declaration that defined the terms for Japan’s surrender and made dire warnings if the country failed to put down its weapons; Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was not part of the ultimatum because his country had not yet declared war on Japan.
The declaration claimed that “unintelligent calculations” by Japan’s military advisers had brought the country to the “threshold of annihilation.” Hoping that the Japanese would “follow the path of reason,” the leaders outlined their terms of surrender, which included complete disarmament, occupation of certain areas, and the creation of a “responsible government.” However, it also promised that Japan would not “be enslaved as a race or destroyed as a nation.” The declaration ended by warning of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan failed to unconditionally surrender.
At a press conference, the Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki Kantarō responded to the ultimatum with “mokusatsu.” The translation of the word would become the source of much debate. While the press largely reported that he was refusing or ignoring the declaration, others later noted that mokusatsu could be translated to mean “no comment.” However, Japan made no further statements in the ensuing days, and on August 6, 1945, the U.S. military dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, destroying most of the city. More destruction followed as Nagasaki was bombed three days later. During this time, the Soviet Union also declared war on Japan. On August 15, Japan officially surrendered.