The history books of my day had the full story and many different histories since then have covered it, but in a nut shell:
The Japanese Foreign Ministry sent telegrams to the Allies, announcing that Japan would accept the Potsdam Declaration but would not comprise any demand which would prejudice the prerogatives of the Emperor. That effectively meant that the TennÅ would remain a position of real power within the government — power that was normally wielded in his name by the people at the tops of the military and governmental hierarchies.
The response from the Allies was received on August 12. On the status of the Emperor it said, "From the moment of surrender the authority of the Emperor and the Japanese government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied powers who will take such steps as he deems proper to effectuate the surrender terms. ... The ultimate form of government of Japan shall, in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration, be established by the freely expressed will of the Japanese people."
We were prepared for the Japanese not being on the level, but all in all, they obeyed Hirohito and did not cause any major problems.
More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan
“The Foreign Ministry sent telegrams to the Allies,
announcing that Japan would accept the Potsdam Declaration...”
... that is the tidbit I was looking for.
Surrender by tegram - THANKS!
“Dear USA stop we want the bombing to stop stop”