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
Jennifer Lee in Financial Times on the ROK investment announcement
October 1, 2026
Media Mentions
Jennifer Lee, a Washington-based partner at The Asia Group, said she expected the first disbursement to be tied to the ...
Han in The Guardian: Foie gras, live dolphins and toasters: China and US cut reciprocal tariffs on $30bn each of goods
September 28, 2026
Media Mentions
Han Lin, the China country director at The Asia Group, a strategic advisory firm, said: “The animal list is certainly ...
Colonel (Ret.) Shailender S. Arya in Mint on India’s surveillance satellite program
September 28, 2026
Media Mentions
Shailender Arya, senior advisor at strategic advisory firm The Asia Group, said that the launch of the EOS-5 satellite by ...
George Chen in CNN International on the growing U.S.-China AI competition
September 26, 2026
Media Mentions
Despite growing calls to prevent AI development from spiraling out of control, the Trump-Xi summit has produced little substance, as ...