 Tamogami turned to politics in 2014 as a candidate for governor of Tokyo and for the House of Representatives; he was arrested in April 2016 for alleged violations of campaign finance laws (illegal payments to supporters) in relation to his gubernatorial campaign.Tamogami graduated from Fukushima Prefectural Asaka High School in 1967 and the National Defense Academy of Japan in 1971 with a major in electrical engineering.He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1986, colonel in 1990, and major general in 1996.