is a Japanese aircraft and automotive

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

Career

Tanaka graduated from the

Tokyo Institute of Technology is a national research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology, one of first five Designated National University and selected as ...

in March 1939 and joined the Tachikawa Aircraft Company in April 1939. In October of the same year, he enlisted in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and evaluated new engines for army aircraft. In 1944, the Japanese Army sent him to his home company of

Tachikawa 250px, Showa Memorial Park is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 184,383 in 93,428 households, and a population density of 7600 persons per km2. The total area of the ci ...

to complete the design of the

Tachikawa Ki-74 The Tachikawa Ki-74 ( Allied reporting name "Patsy") was a Japanese experimental long-range reconnaissance bomber of World War II. A twin-engine, mid-wing monoplane, it was developed for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service but never deployed ...

. Tanaka's contribution was to add a

pressurized cabin Cabin pressurization is a process in which conditioned air is pumped into the cabin of an aircraft or spacecraft in order to create a safe and comfortable environment for passengers and crew flying at high altitudes. For aircraft, this air is u ...

to Ki-74. After the end of World War II, Tanaka repaired existing

Tachikawa Ki-77 The Tachikawa Ki-77 was a Japanese very long-range experimental transport and communications aircraft of World War II derived from a design commissioned by a newspaper to break the flight distance record set by a rival. It was a low-wing cabin mo ...

and Ki-74 aircraft for submission to the GHQ. On June 30, 1947,KATSURAGI, Yoji (2003), “The Beam of Light of the Prince Motor Company”, Grand Prix Book Publishing Co., Ltd., (Japanese) Tanaka joined the Tokyo Electric Car Company after it became independent from the Tachikawa Aircraft; it later changed its name to "Tama Electric Car Company" on November 30, 1949. Tama (Prince) Truck AFTF in Hakone 1951 or 1952

Tama (Prince) Truck AFTF in Hakone 1951 or 1952

After the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

broke out, the price of batteries rose significantly, while the price of gasoline fell. For this reason, Tama Electric Car started building gasoline-engine vehicles. As the company was essentially still an aircraft body manufacturer, they had to acquire automobile engines from outside. They bought engines from Fuji Precision Industries (one of the successors of the disbanded

Nakajima Aircraft Company The was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru. History The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first aircraft manufactur ...

). Tama Electric Car changed its name to "Tama Motor Company" on November 26, 1951. In 1952, a new sedan was launched that was named "Prince," so on November 27, 1952, the company again changed its name, this time to the "

Prince Motor Company The Prince Motor Company ( Japanese: ) was an automobile marque from Japan which eventually merged into Nissan in 1966. It began as the Tachikawa Aircraft Company, a manufacturer of various airplanes for the Japanese Army in World War II, e.g. ...

." Tanaka, as Design Department Manager, supervised the development of all Prince vehicles such as the

Skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylin ...

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

, and others under the supervision of his boss Ryoichi Nakagawa, a former Nakajima Aircraft engineer. Tanaka was promoted to Executive Director after Prince Motor Company mergered with

Nissan , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...

. He retired from Nissan in 1983, and was appointed the Vice President of Nissan Diesel. In 1985, Tanaka retired from Nissan Diesel but remained an adviser to the company. He was inducted into the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame in 2008 along with

Yutaka Katayama , also known as Mr. K, was a Japanese automotive executive who was employed by Nissan and served as the first president of Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. Katayama expanded Nissan's focus from economy vehicles towards sportier vehicles, and is reg ...

, also known as "Mr. K".

References

The History and the Biography of Jiro Tanaka (Detailed PDF document attached)
(Japanese) - Japan Automotive Hall of Fame
From the Ki-74 to the Tama Electric Vehicles and the Prince Vehicles - Interview of Jiro Tanaka on Nov. 22, 1996
(Japanese) - The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (JSAE)
Carmakers owe success to warplanes - Military's brightest aircraft designers created Japan's automotive powers
The Japan Times, Aug. 13, 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Jiro 1917 births Japanese automotive pioneers Tokyo Institute of Technology alumni Japanese aerospace engineers Japanese automotive engineers Nissan people Imperial Japanese Army officers Businesspeople from Tokyo Japanese business executives Corporate executives in the automobile industry Living people Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II

Career

See also

References