The Potsdam Declaration was the offer on the table from the Allies. It mentioned unconditional surrender but the actual terms were much more nuanced: https://e

The Potsdam Declaration was the offer on the table from the Allies. It mentioned unconditional surrender but the actual terms were much more nuanced: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Declaration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Declaration In particular it promised that Japan would be allowed to govern herself after an occupation. The Russian role in all of this is also pretty nuanced. They didn't sign the Potsdam Deceleration because they weren't yet at war with Japan. Once Russia was in the war then the status of Potsdam became questionable for the Japanese government, it was a classic high-pressure sales tactic. "Take this offer before it expires." The emperor mentioned the atomic bomb as a reason for the surrender in his rescript, but that was likely just a face-saving excuse. The government already demonstrated its willingness to let the entire population of Japan die fighting the allies so it doesn't seem too reasonable that they'd quibble over the means.