Kristin Surak
Associate Professor of Political Sociology at the London School of Economics and an expert on Japanese politics, invited to explain Sanae Takaichi's background and implications of her premiership.
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Oct 24, 2025 • 18min
From Iron Maiden to the Iron Lady: Japan’s first female prime minister
Dr. Kristin Surak, an expert in Japanese politics from the London School of Economics, dives into the groundbreaking election of Sanae Takaichi as Japan's first female prime minister. They discuss Takaichi's unconventional background as a heavy metal drummer, her ties to nationalist politics, and her ambitious vision for women's health issues. Surak also highlights the complexities of her premiership, including challenges with China and South Korea, while contemplating future UK-Japan relations amid shifting global politics.
Oct 18, 2023 • 45min
What Are Golden Passports? with Professor Kristin Surak
Your passport tells a story of where you’re from—and where you’re allowed to go. But what if you wanted to rewrite that story? Professor Kristin Surak joins us to discuss the world of golden passports, where millionaires and billionaires buy citizenship to countries they’re not from—and are often not living in—in order to navigate travel perks, business opportunities, and even scandals. If you thought all passports were created equal, you’re in for a trip.
Kristin Surak is Associate Professor of Political Sociology at the LSE and the author of The Golden Passport: Global Mobility for Millionaires (Harvard University Press 2023). In addition to her academic work, she writes for popular outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Guardian, and comments regularly for the BBC, Bloomberg TV, and Sky TV News.
You can follow her on Twitter @KristinSurak and on TikTok @goldenpassports. To learn more about her work, check out her department page.
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