Yuko Hasegawa-Arango joined King's College London Language Centre in 2020. She completed her  English BA (1991) at Dokkyo University, Japan and her TEFL MEd (1996) at University of Bristol. She speaks English and Japanese. She is Deputy Team Leader of the East Asian Language Team and Library Liaison. 

Yuko Hasegawa-Arango is a Lecturer in Japanese Language Education and currently serves as Deputy Team Leader (Japanese) within the East Asian Language Team. She teaches Japanese across a range of programmes, including undergraduate modules and Lifelong Learning classes, covering all proficiency levels from beginner to advanced. In her role as Deputy Team Leader, she supports the Team Leader and provides guidance to team members, contributing to curriculum development, exam setting, and academic coordination. She plays a key role in leading the Japanese teaching team and actively participates in departmental initiatives as a member of the Departmental Education Committee. She also acts as the library liaison for the King's Language Centre. Yuko is involved in hosting national and international events such as the Japanese Speech Contest for University Students, organised by the Japan Foundation London and the British Association for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language. She also leads her team in delivering the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at the institution. With a strong commitment to enhancing Japanese language education, Yuko works to create opportunities for students to engage with the language and culture both inside and outside the classroom.

Research, Scholarly projects and Academic Awards

Yuko Hasegawa has been actively engaged in a number of scholarly and educational initiatives in the field of Japanese language education. She currently leads the team responsible for hosting the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at the institution, ensuring smooth delivery and community engagement. She is also collaborating with a colleague on a project focused on Kanji instruction in classes. This project explores effective strategies for supporting Kanji and vocabulary acquisition through context-based reading, with the aim of developing practical and learner-friendly teaching materials. Yuko is also involved in a team project exploring pedagogical approaches to teaching Japanese in authentic business contexts, with a focus on applied language learning. In addition, she has been working collaboratively on the planning of an interdisciplinary event titled The Art of Translation – Exploring Cultural Nuances in Film and Literature, which brought together educators and learners to reflect on translation as a cross-cultural practice.

Academic Publications:

Yonemoto, K., Hamada, N., Takai, M., Kamura, A., Hasegawa, Y., Kasai, J. and Kitagawa, T. (2022) Four Different Practices on Traditional Performing Art, KAMIKIRI – focusing on experimental learning online. IMACOCO, 9. COCO Publishing.