Lyailya Tultayevna Balakayeva graduated from the Faculty of History of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (special division — English language) in 1982. In 1984–1987, she pursued postgraduate studies at the Ch.Ch. Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology. In June 1989, she defended her Candidate of Sciences dissertation in History (specialty 07.00.02) and was awarded the degree of Candidate of Historical Sciences on June 23, 1989 (Certificate No. IT №014703). From 1987 to 1999, she worked at the above-mentioned institute as a Research Fellow and Senior Research Fellow. Between 1996 and 1999, she served as Academic Secretary of the Institute. From September 1999 to June 2008, she worked as an Associate Professor at the Department of World History of Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, teaching core courses in Eastern History. In 2000– 2006, she served as Academic Secretary of the Faculty Council of History and Executive Secretary of the “History and Socio-Political Sciences” series of the journal “Khabarshy.” In April 2008, by decision of the Committee for Control in Education and Science of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Diploma No. 0000550), she was awarded the academic title of Associate Professor in History. From September 2008 to September 2011, she headed the Department of Japanese Studies at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University; from 2011 to 2014, she served as Head of the Department of Korean and Japanese Studies. From September 2014 to September 2025, she has been working as Associate Professor at the Department of Far Eastern Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. L.T. Balakayeva is actively engaged in research. Her current research focuses on modern and contemporary history of Japan. She is the author of more than 50 scholarly publications and учебных пособий in the field of national and world history.