Institute for Corean-American Studies

Christopher Johnstone

Christopher B Johnstone is senior adviser and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Prior to joining CSIS, Chris served in government for 25 years in a variety of senior positions with a focus on US policy toward Japan and the Indo-Pacific. He served twice on the National Security Council, as director for East Asia under President Biden and director for Japan and Oceanian affairs under President Obama (2014–2016). In the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Chris led offices with responsibility for South and Southeast Asia (2017–2021) and East Asia (2016–2017); he was director for Northeast Asia from 2010 to 2014, where Chris had principal responsibility for developing strategy for the US-Japan alliance. He began his career as an intelligence officer in the Central Intelligence Agency, where Chris worked on national security issues in Northeast Asia and served in an overseas field station. He has a master's in public affairs from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College. Chris speaks fluent Japanese.

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This page last updated August 08, 2025 sa