Japan played four matches at the 2010 World Cup and he was on the pitch for all 390 minutes, part of a back line that conceded twice before Paraguay knocked them out on penalties. Urawa's 2007 AFC Champions League and 2006 J1 title are his, along with a second J1 crown at Nagoya in 2010, two Emperor's Cups, the 2006 J.League MVP award, Japanese Footballer of the Year the same season, and nine straight Best Eleven selections. Career record: 43 caps and 8 goals for Japan; club career at Mito HollyHock, Urawa Red Diamonds, Nagoya Grampus.
| 2001–2002 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima |
| 2003–2003 | Mito HollyHock |
| 2004–2009 | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| 2010–2015 | Nagoya Grampus |
| 2017–2019 | Kyoto Sanga |
| Japan | 43 caps, 8 goals |
Japan legends whose careers overlapped Tanaka's
One rank above: Junichi Inamoto at #20.
One rank below: Masami Ihara at #22.
Japan's editorial top five: Hidetoshi Nakata · Shinji Kagawa · Keisuke Honda · Makoto Hasebe · Shunsuke Nakamura.