The Necessary Deepening of Japan’s Alliances
From The Asia Chessboard by Center for Strategic and International Studies
December 16, 2025 · 46 min
About this episode
Mike speaks with Christopher Johnstone about U.S.–Japan relations and Japan's evolving defense policies.
In this episode, Mike speaks with Christopher Johnstone, Partner and Chair of the Defense & National Security Practice at The Asia Group. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and before that as National Security Council Director for Asia under President Biden and Director for Japan and Oceanian Affairs under President Obama. They discuss the arc of U.S.–Japan relations, the recent summit between U.S. President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi, Japan’s rapidly evolving defense policies, and much more.
People in this episode
Host: Mike
Guest: Christopher Johnstone
Topics covered
- U.S.–Japan relations
- defense policies
- international relations
- political alliances
- national security
Keywords
- Japan
- U.S.–Japan relations
- defense policies
- national security
- international relations
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Center for Strategic and International Studies, The Asia Group
Places: Japan, United States
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