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COMMANDER // 1892–1969

Raizō Tanaka

vice admiralJapanJapan1 battle1 war

Lifespan

1892 – 1969

1900191019201930194019501960World War II · 1939–1945 (1941–1945 U.S. combat role)Guadalcanal — 1942–1943 · Japan · World War II

Active service 1942 — 1 battle across 1 war; first command at age 50.

Profile

Raizō Tanaka was a rear admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during most of World War II. A specialist in the heavy torpedoes that were carried by all the destroyers and cruisers of the IJN, Tanaka mainly commanded destroyer squadrons, with a cruiser or two attached, and he was the primary leader of the "Tokyo Express" reinforcement and resupply shipments during the long campaign for the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific Ocean. From the Americans, Tanaka acquired the nickname of "Tenacious Tanaka" for his stalwart opposition.

Source · Wikipedia · Q3929698

Battles (1)

Last verified June 2026
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