A professor of Japanese, Sachiko Matsunaga is a leader in her field with research interests in reading processes and acquisition of reading skills in Japanese as a foreign language. She has authored many publications and delivered numerous presentations in these areas, as well as on Asian language curriculum development and Japanese language education in the United States.

Matsunaga served on the Japan Foundation Consultant Committee, Japanese Study Abroad Scholarship Review Committee and the CSU Academic Council on International Programs. She was also a board member of Teachers of Japanese in Southern California and Association of Teachers of Japanese.

Matsunaga also served as chair of Cal State LA’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, which offers programs in Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.