Tanigaki was prepared for a legal career after close to ten years of study, but his father, who represented the 2nd district in Kyoto, died in 1983.
Tanigaki mempersiapkan karier hukumnya setelah sepuluh tahun menuntut ilmu, namun ayahnya, yang mewakili distrik ke-2 di Kyoto, meninggal pada 1983.