Tanaka graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in March 1939 and joined the Tachikawa Aircraft Company in April 1939.
After the end of World War II, Tanaka repaired existing Tachikawa Ki-77 and Ki-74 aircraft for submission to the GHQ.
They bought engines from Fuji Precision Industries (one of the successors of the disbanded Nakajima Aircraft Company).
Tanaka was promoted to executive director after Prince Motor Company mergered with Nissan.
He was inducted into the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame in 2008 along with Yutaka Katayama, also known as "Mr. K".Jiro Tanaka died in 2017, at the age of 100.