When he was at Shūyō Junior High School, he represented Yamaguchi Prefecture with future international teammate Seiichiro Maki.

Because of this status, he was able to register as a FC Tokyo player while he was still eligible to play for his high school club.

After nine years in Niigata, Tanaka officially retired on December 5, 2021, when he left the pitch after 40 minutes into the home match against Machida Zelvia.

[4] Tanaka immediately joined Niigata's coaching staff for the youth sector.

[6] He made his international debut on 31 July 2005 in an East Asian Championship against North Korea when he replaced Keiji Tamada in the 67th minute.