JDS Chōkai (DDG-176)

JDS Chōkai (DDG-176) is a Kongō class guided missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Chōkai was named for Mount Chōkai.

She was laid down by IHI Corporation in Tokyo on May 29, 1995, launched on August 27, 1996; and commissioned on March 20, 1998.

Service
This ship was one of several in the JMSDF fleet participating in disaster relief after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.