Kazuo Tanaka graduated in 1983 from National Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in industrial design. He is president and CEO of GK Design Group Incorporated, a comprehensive freelance design office in Japan founded in 1952. Kazuo Tanaka became the president of the Japan Industrial Design Association (JIDA) in 2013. He is currently involved in taking on many activities as executive advisor. In 2007, he was elected member of the board of directors of the World Design Organization (formerly Icsid), and has been active, also as a regional adviser, as Good Design Ambassador, Australia, Red Dot Ambassador, Germany, and Doctor of Letters at Ajeenkya DY Patil University, India on many international programmes. Kazuo Tanaka also has been serving as Good Design Fellow of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP). He also has been involved as a juror in many design promotion activities at home and beyond the borders of his home country including the Good Design Award (Japan), the Red Dot Award (Germany), the Australian International Design Awards and others.