Education:

M.A., Contemporary Turkic Languages and Literatures, Ankara University, Türkiye, 2010

B.A., Japanese Literature, Kokugakuin University, Japan, 1993

Other Diplomas& Certificates:

Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test (JLTCT) — Passed, 1994

Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae:

Ryoko Asano has been actively involved in Japanese-language education for over 20 years at institutions including TOBB University of Economics and Technology, the Social Sciences University of Ankara, HÜDİL (Hacettepe University Language Teaching, Application and Research Center), the predecessor of HÜ TÖMER (Turkish and Foreign Language Teaching, Application and Research Center), and The Turkish Japanese Foundation (TJV), among others.

She was also a founding member of the Japanese Desk at TRT’s Department of External Broadcasts and was involved in launching TRT’s first official Japanese-language broadcast. For six years, she disseminated news and contributed to radio broadcasting with the aim of promoting friendship and mutual understanding between Türkiye and Japan.

She also has experience working on the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) project for the Turkish General Directorate of Security (EGM).

In 2026, she received the Ambassador’s Commendation from the Ambassador of Japan to Türkiye for her contributions to the promotion of friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and Türkiye.

Research Interests:

Politeness in Japanese interpersonal communication, critical reading, writing and writing instruction, and translation between Turkish and Japanese.

Publications:

Asano, R. (2016). Dünyada ilk ve tek TRT Japonca [TRT Japanese: The world’s first and only Japanese-language service]. In E. Esen & I. Suzuki (Eds.), Kotodama İstanbul: Hajimari 2015. Arkeoloji ve Sanat Yayınları.

Asano, R. (2022). TRT Japonca ile bir kez daha keşfettiğim kotodamanın gücü [Rediscovering the power of kotodama through TRT Japanese]. In E. Esen (Ed.), Kotodama İstanbul Kokorozashi 3 (pp. 146–150). Efe Akademi Yayınları.

Asano, R. (2022). “Sürpriz yumurta” gibi haiku yarışması [The haiku contest that was like a chocolate surprise egg]. In E. Esen (Ed.), Kotodama İstanbul Kokorozashi 5 (pp. 61–68). Efe Akademi Yayınları.

Research Projects:

“Jreibun” Project: Creation of a database of high-quality Japanese example sentences (2021–2025)

“Waku Waku Nihongo” Turkish Translation Project: Turkish translation of a three-volume Japanese-language textbook series for children (2025–present)