Final answer:
A day after the Potsdam Conference began, Allied leaders continued their discussions on the future of post-war Europe, planned for the division of Germany, and issued an ultimatum to Japan for unconditional surrender, to which Japan initially did not respond.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Day After the Potsdam Conference Began:
The Potsdam Conference was a significant event in World War II history, where key decisions regarding the post-war order were discussed. A day after the conference began, which was held from July 17 to August 2, 1945, discussions among the Allied leaders continued as they dealt with the complex issues of post-war Europe and the ongoing war in the Pacific. The leaders notably President Harry S. Truman, new British Prime Minister Clement Attlee, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, discussed the reconstruction of Europe and finalized plans on how to administer and divide Germany and its capital, Berlin.
At the same time, the Allied leaders issued an ultimatum to Japan to surrender unconditionally, warning of "prompt and utter destruction" otherwise. The Japanese government initially remained silent in response to this ultimatum. It wasn't until after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Soviet Union's invasion of Manchukuo, which occurred shortly after the Potsdam Conference, that Japan announced its acceptance of the unconditional surrender terms stipulated in the Potsdam Declaration. This led to the end of World War II with the formal surrender signed aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.