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What did the Potsdam Declaration demand from Japan?
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atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
A gigantic mushroom cloud rising above Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, after a U.S. aircraft dropped an atomic bomb on the city, immediately killing more than 70,000 people.
The Potsdam Declaration, issued on July 26, 1945, by the United States, Great Britain, and China, demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan to end the Pacific War.12
The ultimatum outlined specific terms for this surrender, which included:
* Complete disarmament of Japanese military forces.1
* The occupation of certain Japanese territories.1
* The establishment of a responsible government.1
While the declaration warned of prompt and utter destruction if Japan failed to comply, it also provided assurances that the Japanese people would not be enslaved as a race or destroyed as a nation. Following Japan's failure to accept these terms, the United States proceeded to use atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.12