Kazuo Tanaka graduated, in 1983, from Tokyo University of the Arts, majored in industrial design. He is president CEO of GK Design Group Incorporated, a comprehensive freelance design office in Japan. He follows the philosophy of Kenji Ekuan, who is a founder of GK Design Group and internationally renowned in the field of industrial design.
Mr. Tanaka is a guest lecturer at several universities including Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, the University of Tokyo, and the Waseda University. He has been elected president of Japan Industrial Designers Association (JIDA) and taking on many kinds of activities since 2013. In 2007, he was elected member of the board of directors of International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). From 2007 to 2011, he act as a regional adviser of ICSID, and promoted the profession of industrial design and its ability to generate better products, systems, services. Mr. Tanaka also worked as Deputy Chairperson of China International Design Industry Union (CIDIU), and a board member of Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP).
He also has been involved as a juror in many design promotion activities in and out of the country like Good Design Award(Japan), Red Dot Design Award (Germany), Australian International Design Awards, and others.