At the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chō was commander of the IJA 74th Infantry Regiment of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force, attached to Japanese Central China Area Army, and based in Manchukuo.
At the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chō was responsible for leading the IJA 74th Infantry Regiment as part of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force, which was under the command of the Japanese Central China Area Army and stationed in Manchukuo.