Editing Tanaka Giichi (section)

==Early life and military career==
Tanaka was born as the third son of a low-ranking ''[[samurai]]'' family in the service of [[Chōshū Domain]] in [[Hagi, Yamaguchi|Hagi]], [[Nagato Province]] (modern day [[Yamaguchi Prefecture]]), Japan. At the age of 13, he participated in the [[Hagi Rebellion]]. He had an interest in politics from an early age, serving on a village council and as an elementary school teacher. He only joined the Imperial Japanese Army at the age of 20.

He graduated from the former 8th class of [[Imperial Japanese Army Academy]] and the 8th class of the [[Army War College (Japan)|Army War College]] in 1892, and served as a junior officer during the [[First Sino-Japanese War]]. After the end of the war, he was sent as a [[military attaché]] to Moscow and [[Petrograd]], and was in [[Russia]] at the same time as [[Takeo Hirose]] of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]], with whom he became close friends. Tanaka was fluent in the [[Russian language]], which he learned while attending mass every Sunday at a [[Russian Orthodox]] church, which enabled him to practice his Russian at church social events, although it is uncertain if he ever actually converted to Christianity. As one of the few Russian experts within the military, he was an invaluable resource to Army planners during the [[Russo-Japanese War]], and served as aide to General [[Kodama Gentarō]] in [[Manchuria]].

[[File:Ken'ichi Ōshima with Giichi Tanaka and Yūsaku Uehara.jpg|thumb|left|Tanaka (left) walking with Generals [[Ōshima Ken'ichi]] (center) and Uehara (right), 1918]]

In 1906, Tanaka helped draft a defense plan which was so highly regarded by the [[Imperial Japanese Army General Staff]] and General [[Yamagata Aritomo]] that it was adopted as basic policy until [[World War I]]. He was also awarded the [[Order of the Golden Kite]] (3rd class) in April 1906.

In 1910, he established a Veterans Association. Tanaka was promoted to [[major general]] in 1911, and was made director of the Military Affairs Bureau at the [[Ministry of the Army]], where he recommended an increase in the strength of the standing army by two additional [[infantry]] divisions. He was awarded the [[Order of the Sacred Treasure]] (1st class) in September 1918. He joined the cabinet of [[Prime Minister of Japan|Prime Minister]]s [[Hara Takashi]] as [[Ministry of the Army|Army Minister]] from September 1918 to June 1921. He was promoted to full general in 1920 and was awarded the [[Order of the Rising Sun]] (1st class). He was also elevated to the title of ''danshaku'' ([[baron]]) under the ''[[kazoku]]'' peerage system. However, the Hara cabinet came under unceasing criticism due to the [[Nishihara Loans]], the disastrous [[Nikolayevsk incident]] and accusations of Army misappropriation of secret funds, and supporting unsavory figures such as [[White Movement]] general [[Roman von Ungern-Sternberg]]. After suffering from an attack of [[angina pectoris|angina]], Tanaka resigned all posts, and retired to his summer home in [[Oiso, Kanagawa]].