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
TAG Senior Advisor Mark Linscott on Trump’s New Trade Order in Forbes
September 16, 2025
Media Mentions
We all should have seen it coming. Candidate Donald Trump was clear on the campaign trail, and when Robert Lighthizer, ...
TAG China Managing Director Han Lin Explains China’s Recent Pension Reform in an Interview with BBC
September 9, 2025
Media Mentions
In a BBC interview, The Asia Group’s China Managing Director Han Lin noted that starting Sept. 1, all employers in ...
TAG Principal Jennifer Lee Speaks with Hankyung on U.S.-Japan Executive Order’s Implications for South Korea
September 5, 2025
Media Mentions
“With the measure now codified in an executive order, South Korea will find it increasingly difficult to resist U.S. demands ...
Tea Leaves Podcast – IPDI Spotlight: Accelerating Allied Innovation Through AUKUS Pillar II