Tanaka was born in Issai village, Hyōgo prefecture (now part of the city of Tatsuno) and was the younger son of a large landowner.

[1] He was promoted to major general in August 1935 and was assigned command of the IJA 5th Infantry Brigade, which as a garrison force based in Manchukuo.

After the start of the Pacific War, Tanaka, who had been vocal in his opposition to the attack on Pearl Harbor was reassigned to command of the Eastern District Army.

[2] This consisted mostly of poorly trained reservists, conscripted students and home guard militia such as the Volunteer Fighting Corps as part of the last desperate defense effort by the Empire of Japan to deter landings of Allied forces in central Honshū.

As acting commander of the 1st Imperial Guards Division, his cooperation was crucial to the 15 August 1945 rebellion planned by Major Kenji Hatanaka and others.

At the surrender of Japan, Tanaka told his subordinates to destroy their unit colors, but not to commit suicide; as burning the regiment's banners would be enough, and that he intended to take full responsibility himself, on behalf of all his men.

On 24 August, at his office in Tokyo's Dai-ichi Life Building (later Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers headquarters), Tanaka shot himself through the heart; he left his desk covered in sutras, letters to his officers and his family, a statue of Emperor Meiji and a scroll bearing Emperor Hirohito's words to him following the August 15th incident.