Tanaka, all 1.66m and 74kg of him, will vie for a starting place with Aaron Smith, the competition's second shortest halfback, providing a strong clue that the Highlanders, with a pack that will include Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore and Brad Thorn are going to try to beat up teams, then run them ragged.
The selection of Tanaka is yet more evidence of innovative thinking from Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph, who is happy to dance to a different tune than his peers. Joseph was the only coach last season to utilise the foreign market - signing England flanker James Haskell.
When the Super Rugby squads are revealed this week, Joseph is once again expected to be the only coach to have recruited from offshore. Tanaka will become the first Japanese player to have cracked Super Rugby and he owes his contract to not only an impressive campaign with Otago this year, but an eye-catching World Cup last year.
The 27-year-old must feel like a bungalow in Manhattan but he's as tough as a well-done steak: a ball of rubber that can't be squashed. What he concedes physically he counters with his speed - both across the ground and in his delivery. Just like Smith, Tanaka gets his hands on the ball quickly and zips it about. He is, most definitely, a passing halfback.
"I think if anything my size is an advantage," he said. "Both Tony Brown [Otago coach] and Jamie [Joseph] say my size is not something that worries them, on the contrary. I know the opposition are going to hunt me, attack me and try to crush me, but that can create extra space if I get the ball away quickly.
"Initially when I started in the ITM Cup, I found it physically intense but I realised the important thing was that I understood the game, and how it was being played and what was required of me, then I could do my job properly."
Tanaka, who has 29 test caps, is genuinely overwhelmed to have made selection. He came to Otago from the Panasonic Wild Knights in what was a mutually convenient arrangement. Tanaka has long-held the dream of playing Super
Rugby and it was made clear to him by Joseph that he would have a chance of making the cut if he could impress in the ITM Cup.
The bigger picture is that rugby people in Japan are desperate to boost the sport's profile. Japan will host the 2019 World Cup and they want it to be a massive success - aware it will be the perfect opportunity to put rugby in the spotlight.
Being the first Japanese player in Super Rugby will allow Tanaka to do his bit in building the profile of rugby back home, something that's important to him. Following the tsunami last year, Tanaka sent rugby balls to the children of the most affected regions and he plans to collect as much Otago and Highlanders playing and training kit as he can to also distribute.
"I feel this is about me having a chance to represent Japan," he said. "I have dreamed about playing Super Rugby for a long time and I was overwhelmed and really happy when I was told that I would be playing.
"But with that initial goal now achieved, I want to do well. I want to make the most of this opportunity and make people proud by challenging Aaron Smith and showing kids back home in Japan that size doesn't matter. The Highlanders have recruited some big weapons [Ma'a Nonu, Woodcock and Thorn] and I am really focused about helping this team do the job and challenge for the title."
Tanaka will fly home to Japan before joining his international colleagues in Europe for a series of tests next month. He hasn't had much dialogue with Japan coach Eddie Jones but Tanaka hopes he will remain in the international frame while with the Highlanders.
- Gregor Paul of the Herald on Sunday
