Motoo Tatsuhara was the son of a prominent lawyer and politician. He started playing football at high school and represented Japan at the 1936 Berlin Olympics as midfielder, while he attended Waseda University. He was the son of Takuzo Hanai, a jurist and statesman. Tatsuhara made his international début at the 1934 Far Eastern Games playing two games against the Dutch East Indies and China. His other two internationals were played at the 1936 Olympics. After graduating from Waseda, Tatsuhara joined a company producing chemical fertilizer, now known as Nissan Chemical. His last international appearance came in 1942, when he played three matches as captain of the Japanese team at the East Asian Games, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the puppet state of Manchuria.