born May 4, 1918, Kariwa, Niigata prefecture, Japan
died Dec. 16, 1993, Tokyo
Prime minister of Japan (1972–74).
As prime minister, Tanaka pushed through many government construction projects and was responsible for the economic revitalization of much of western Japan and for establishing diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In 1976 he was charged with accepting, while prime minister, $2 million from Lockheed Aircraft Corp. to influence All Nippon Airways to buy Lockheed jets; he was convicted in 1983. However, he remained powerful in the Liberal-Democratic Party until he retired from politics in 1990.