The 25-year-old makes the switch to the Academy Stadium having impressed during a year-long spell with the Hammers in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Also a seasoned international with her homeland, she has made 58 appearances for her country since her debut in 2017 and has represented them at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Asian Cup, Olympic Games and SheBelieves Cup.
Born in Toda, Japan, in January 1997, Hasegawa joined Nippon TV Beleza in her homeland aged 12 and rose through their youth ranks before moving into their senior set-up in 2013.
Going on to make over a century of appearances for the club over an eight-year spell and helping them to win the Japanese league title for five consecutive seasons, the creative midfielder earned herself a move to Europe in early 2021 with AC Milan.
After just seven months in Italy however – scoring three goals in nine outings – the playmaker put pen to paper on a two-year deal with West Ham United last August.
Turning out for the East London outfit on 17 occasions and finding the back of the net twice in 2021/22 – including an effort in a 2-0 victory over City last October - Hasegawa has swapped the capital for Manchester ahead of the start of the new campaign.
Speaking about her move, she said: “It has been a big dream of mine to come to Manchester City to play football, so I am very happy to be here.
“When I played against City last season, I really liked the team’s playing style, so when I got this opportunity, I immediately wanted to join the club.
“People see me as an attacking player, but I also want to be known for my defending and unpredictability. I may be small, but I am strong, and I want to show that.
“I’d like to create as many goals and assists as possible for the team this season to help us to hopefully enjoy a lot of success.”
Head Coach Gareth Taylor added: “We’re really pleased to have been able to bring Yui on board – she’s a very gifted player and one we have admired for a while now.
“She has a lot of experience under her belt including a year already in the Barclays WSL, and we believe she will fit very nicely in with our style of play and the talented squad we already have here at City.
“We’re very much looking forward to working with Yui over the coming seasons and seeing her make her mark in a Manchester City shirt.”
