The Potsdam Declaration, issued on July 26, 1945, by the leaders of the United States, the Republic of China, and Great Britain, laid out the terms for Japan's surrender in World War II. This declaration was a significant part of the [[Potsdam Conference]] discussions and decisions. Some key points of the Potsdam Declaration include: 1. A call for Japan to end the war, with a warning of the immense military power poised against it by the United States, Britain, and China. 2. The declaration cited the example of Germany's futile resistance and the destruction it caused, as a warning to Japan. 3. It stipulated the need to eliminate the authority and influence of those who misled Japan into war, insisting on establishing a new order of peace, security, and justice. 4. The terms demanded Japan's disarmament and Allied occupation of certain points in Japanese territory. 5. The declaration stated that Japanese sovereignty would be limited to certain main islands and other minor islands as determined by the Allies. 6. It included provisions for the disarming of Japanese military forces, allowing them to return home for peaceful and productive lives. 7. The terms emphasized the establishment of freedom of speech, religion, and thought in Japan, and the removal of obstacles to democratic tendencies. 8. Japan was to be allowed to maintain industries for economic sustainability but not those that could enable rearmament. 9. The declaration ended with a call for Japan's unconditional surrender, warning of prompt and utter destruction otherwise. This declaration is a critical historical document as it set the terms for ending the war in the Pacific and laid the foundation for Japan's post-war reconstruction and democratization. For the complete text of the Potsdam Declaration, you can refer to sources such as Wikisource [Potsdam Declaration - Wikisource](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Potsdam_Declaration). For more context and details about the Potsdam Conference and its decisions, the Office of the Historian provides in-depth information [Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, Volume II - Office of the Historian](https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1945Berlinv02).