The "End of War Edict" was signed by Japanese Emperor Hirohito at the end of World War II to accept the "Potsdam Declaration" issued by the United States, Britain, China and the Soviet Union at the Potsdam Conference, and agreed to unconditional surrender. of the edict. The edict was broadcast on August 15, 1945, which was regarded as a sign that Japan formally accepted the Potsdam Declaration and announced its surrender.

The edict was mainly drafted by Kantaro Suzuki, the then Prime Minister of Japan, and completed by Hisakune Osami, Mizuho Kawada, and Masatoshi Yasuoka. Other cabinet ministers also participated in the revision. In order to seek to exempt Emperor Hirohito from war responsibilities and protect Japan's imperial system, it also included attempts to reduce the possibility of crises caused by domestic hardliners. The edict adopted many tactics in wording, such as blurring the essence of the war of aggression launched by Japan; evading Japan's war responsibilities against Asian countries and limiting its targets to the United States and Britain; and limiting Hirohito's responsibility as the supreme commander of the Japanese army. passed on to the Japanese government.

If we conduct a detailed analysis of the emperor's edict, it can be seen that: first of all, the edict only stated that "the general trend of the world is not in my favor", and the Allies also used "cruel bombs" for the sake of "hundred million people." He had no choice but to announce his acceptance of the declaration of independence of the United States, the Soviet Union, China and Britain, but nowhere did it involve acknowledging the fact of Japan's defeat; secondly, the edict emphasized that the declaration of war was not his original intention, but for Japan's "self-survival" and The "tranquility" of East Asia is a last resort, so we still stand on the stance of "liberating East Asia", but we regret that this goal has not been achieved; thirdly, the war referred to in the edict started in 1941 The initial war with Britain and the United States, which had been read for four years, did not say a word about the war of aggression against China. It seemed that it had never happened. Combining the above three points, it can be seen that, just like the previous emperor's edicts, what is particularly prominent here is still the so-called "national system" of Japan, and what is still adhered to is the imperial view of history. If the intention of the edict could be explained more clearly, it would be: Although Japan is now experiencing temporary setbacks, as long as the Japanese national system is maintained, although there is a long way to go, Japan cannot perish, and there is still hope.

Professor Yoichi Komori of the University of Tokyo once pointed out: The "End War Rescript" is an answer to the "Potsdam Declaration" proposed by the four major powers of the United States, Britain, China and the Soviet Union, and it should naturally involve relations with China. war between. However, the edict “only regards ‘declaration of war on the United States and Britain’ as a problem” and “excludes China and the Soviet Union, which clearly shows that its intention is to limit the war to after 1941.” Some scholars also clearly pointed out that the emperor's "End of War Edict" "is the most fundamental aspect of avoiding the emperor's war responsibilities and 'protecting the national system.'" Because in the so-called "End of War Edict", it only mentioned the war between Japan and the United States and Britain, and there was "no awareness of defeat" in its content. As for "the invasion of China, it was ignored at all." Therefore, the so-called "Edict of the End of the War" is nothing more than a "declaration to continue the emperor's system."