She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
After finishing primary school, she began training as a nurse, graduating in 1911.
She then attended Samba Gakko midwifery school,[2] later studying at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and qualifying as a public health nurse.
[2] After World War II, Tanaka was an independent candidate in Tottori in the 1946 general elections (the first in which women could vote), and was elected to the House of Representatives.
[2] After being elected she joined the National Cooperative Party.