| Jiro Tanaka | |
 | |
| Birth: | 16 January 1917 Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan |
| Death: | 28 September 2017 Japan |
| Age: | 100 years, 255 days |
| Country: |  JPN
|
| Centenarian | |
Jiro Tanaka (田中 次郎; Tanaka Jirō; 16 January 1917 – 28 September 2017) was a Japanese centenarian, and an engineer of aircraft and automobiles.
Career[]
Tanaka graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in March 1939 and joined the Tachikawa Aircraft Company in April 1939. In October of the same year, he enlisted in the Army and evaluated new engines for army aircraft. In 1944, the Japanese Army sent him to his home company of Tachikawa to complete the design of the Tachikawa Ki-74. Tanaka's contribution was to add a pressurized cabin to Ki-74.
After the end of World War II, Tanaka repaired existing Tachikawa Ki-77 and Ki-74 aircraft for submission to the GHQ.
On 30 June 1947, Tanaka joined the Tokyo Electric Car Company after it became independent from the Tachikawa Aircraft; it later changed its name to "Tama Electric Car Company" on 30 November 1949.
After the Korean War broke out, the price of batteries rose significantly, while the price of gasoline fell. For this reason, Tama Electric Car started building gasoline-engine vehicles. As the company was essentially still an aircraft body manufacturer, they had to acquire automobile engines from outside. They bought engines from Fuji Precision Industries (one of the successors of the disbanded Nakajima Aircraft Company). Tama Electric Car changed its name to "Tama Motor Company" on 26 November 1951. In 1952, a new sedan was launched that was named "Prince," so on 27 November 1952, the company again changed its name, this time to the "Prince Motor Company." Tanaka, as Design Department Manager, supervised the development of all Prince vehicles such as the Skyline, Gloria, and others under the supervision of his boss Ryoichi Nakagawa, a former Nakajima Aircraft engineer. Tanaka was promoted to Executive Director after Prince Motor Company mergered with Nissan. He retired from Nissan in 1983, and was appointed the Vice President of Nissan Diesel. In 1985, Tanaka retired from Nissan Diesel but remained an adviser to the company. He was inducted into the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame in 2008.
Jiro Tanaka died in Japan on 28 September 2017 at the age of 100 years, 255 days.
References[]
- Carmakers owe success to warplanes The Japan Times, 13 August 2005
- たま電気自動車再生ヒストリー 日産自動車（電気自動車専用アカウント） on YouTube, 28 July 2010
- Death mention