Kōshirō Tanaka

is a Japanese martial artist and veteran of the Soviet–Afghan war. Tanaka left an office-job to confront his possible fear of death. He travelled to Peshawar then to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and after joining Jamiat-e Islami, took up arms against the Soviet and Afghan government armies.

Early life Koshiro Tanaka was born in 1940 in Tagawa (Fukuoka Prefecture). He studied karate from childhood, and then judo, aikido and kendo. As an adult, Tanaka embarked on a career as a businessman, but gradually came to the idea that the business of his life was martial arts. He graduated from Kanagawa University Faculty of Law and Economics.

The mujahideen, he said, "need help, any kind of help. They need weapons, bread, food, anything". When Koshiro Tanaka arrived in Afghanistan, he exchanged his black uniform suit for a salwar kameez. He had no battlefield experience but nonetheless, he began to teach the mujahideen hand-to-hand combat. In February 1985, he took part in a battle against the Soviet and Afghan armies. Many journalists around the world reported on the so-called "Afghan samurai".

Reaction from Japan The Japanese government disapproved of his activities. The Japanese Embassy in Islamabad officially warned Tanaka about the inappropriateness of involvement in the Afghan conflict. Tanaka ignored this warning and began to train the Dushmans of the second largest group headed by Rabbani. He eventually viewed himself as a martyr for Japan, which had an Island dispute with the Soviet Union.

Tanaka was strongly against the government and Constitution for denying Japanese people the chance to fight the Russians off the Kuril Islands to which Japan had historical ties to. The islands were surrendered to the Soviets following WWII.