Japanese cruiser Chōkai | ''Chōkai'' | JDS ''Chōkai'' | Japanese gunboat Chōkai |
Niwa's work was controversial and during World War II a couple of his novels were banned for immorality; he worked as a war correspondent in China and New Guinea; he accompanied Rear Admiral Gunichi Mikawa's Eighth Fleet and was on board the flagship Chōkai during the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942.
After repairs, the Chōkai was once again assigned to a support role in an invasion, this time the landings at Iri, Sumatra, and the invasion of the Andaman Islands and the seizure of Port Blair a few days later.
Three ships have been named after Mount Chōkai: Chōkai, an early steam gunboat, and the cruiser Chōkai (sunk in 1944), which were both in the Japanese Imperial Navy, and the JDS Chōkai, a Kongō class guided missile destroyer currently in service in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.