Chris Johnstone is a senior advisor at The Asia Group and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Prior to joining CSIS, he served in government for 25 years in a variety of senior positions with a focus on U.S. policy toward Japan and the Indo-Pacific region. He served twice on the National Security Council, as director for East Asia under President Joe Biden and director for Japan and Oceanian affairs under President Barack Obama. In the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he led offices with responsibility for South and Southeast Asia and East Asia. He began his career as an intelligence officer in the Central Intelligence Agency.
Podcasts
Chris Johnstone on Japan’s Growing Security Leadership
- Japan
Recent Posts
Tokuko Shironitta in a conversation with TIME: ‘The Japanese public in general seems careless or even welcoming in some cases about having less Chinese tourists’
November 24, 2025
Media Mentions
“The Japanese public in general seems careless or even welcoming in some cases about having less Chinese tourists,” says Tokuko ...
Kurt Tong shares insight in Bloomberg on Chinese-Japanese tension: ‘The Japan side is still looking for an off-ramp rather than seeking to escalate’
November 21, 2025
Media Mentions
“The Japan side is still looking for an off-ramp rather than seeking to escalate,” said Kurt Tong, a former senior ...
George Chen shares comments on growing China-Japan tensions in CNBC
November 21, 2025
Media Mentions
“The pace and scale of Beijing’s reactions … are quite unprecedented,” said George Chen, partner of The Asia Group, a ...
Shailender Arya quoted in Mint : ‘R&D investments will lead to the building of products, and coupled with that, companies must explore export opportunities to cater to select nations’
November 20, 2025
Media Mentions
Experts suggest that companies should not only rely on Indian government orders. “R&D investments will lead to the building of products, ...