[2] In these roles, he became heavily involved in labor organizing, which earned him the ire of the militarist regime and led him to be included among the left-wing activists arrested in the Popular Front Incident of 1937.

In 1950 Takano played a central role in the creation of the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan (better known by its Japanese abbreviation Sōhyō), and in 1951, he was elected its first secretary-general.

"[2] With the JCP in disarray following the Red Purge and a disastrous flirtation with armed revolution, Takano led Sōhyō into the embrace of the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) instead.

The following year, three of Sōhyō's largest unions bolted to form the more moderate, openly anti-communist Zenrō labor federation, precipitating the ouster of Takano.

[2] During this period, Takano made several trips to the People's Republic of China, building up relations between the Japanese labor movement and the Chinese Communist Party.