Proclamation of Three Powers, the United States, Great Britain and China.

(the Potsdam Declaration)
(Potsdam, July 26, 1945)

1.
We --- The President of the United States, the President of National Government of the Republic of China, and the Prime Minister of Great Britain, responding the hundreds of millions of our countrymen, have conferred and agreed that Japan shall be given an opportunity to end this war.

2.
The prodigious land, sea and air forces of the United States, the British Empire and of China, many times reinforces by their armies and air fleets from the West, are poised to strike the final blows upon Japan. This millitary power is sustained and inspired bt the determination of all the Allied. Nations to prosecute the war against Japan until she ceases to resist.

3.
The result of the futile and senseless German resistance to the might of the aroused free poeples of the world stands forth in awful vlarity as an example to the people of Japan. The might that now converges on Japan is immeasurably greater than that which, applied to the resisting Nazis, necessarily laid waste to the lands, the industry and the method of life of the whoke German people. The full application of our military power, backed by our resalve, will mean the inevitable and complete destruction of Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland.

4.
The time has come for Japan to decide whether she will continue to be controlled by those self-willed militarislic advisers whose unintelligent calculations have brought the Empire of Japan to the threshold of annihilation, or whether she will follow the path od reason.

5.
The following are our terms:
We will not deviate from them. THere are no alternatives. We shall brook no delay.

6.
There must be eliminated for all time the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest, for we insist that a new order of peace, and justice will be inpossible until irresponsible militatism is driven from the world.

7.
Until such a new order is established and until there is convineing proof that Japan's war making power is destroyed, points in Japanese territory to be designed by the Allies shall be occupied to secure the achievement of the basic objectives we are here setting forth.

8.
The terms of the Cairo Decleration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islandsof Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we detarmine.

9.
The Japanese Military forces, after being completely disarmed, shall be permitted to return to their homes with the opportunity to lead peaceful and productive lives.

10.
We do not intend that the Japanese shall be enslaced as a race or destroyed as a nation, but stren justice shall be mated out to all war criminals, including those who have visited cruelties upon our prisoners. The Japanese Government shall remove all obstacles to the revival and strengthening of democratic tendencies among the Japanese people. The freedom of speech, of religion, and of thought as well as respect for the fundamental human rights shall be established.

11.
Japan shall be permitted to maintain such industries as will suetain her economyand permit the exaction of just reparations in kind, but not those which would enable her to rearm for the war, To this end, access to, as distinguished from control of, raw materials shall be permitted. The evetural Japanese paricipation in warld trade relations shall be permitted.

12.
The occupping forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as these objectives have been accomolished and there has been established, in accordance with the freely-expressed will of the Japanese people, a peacefully inclined and responsible government.

13.
We call upon the Government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all the Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.

KAWAHARA Kaztoshi