In the Cairo Declaration (December 1, 1943), which laid out the basic position of the Allied Powers on Japan’s territorial boundaries after the end of World War II, it is stated that “Japan will also be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed.”

The Cairo Declaration also confirms the independence of Korea as follows: “three great powers, mindful of the enslavement of the people of Korea, are determined that in due course Korea shall become free and independent.”

The Potsdam Declaration of 1945, which Japan accepted as a condition of its surrender, reconfirms that “the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out.”