President James Johnson was the 44th President of the United States of America, serving during the time of the Big Shell incident. He was the successor of George Sears, and is the primary hostage Raiden is sent to rescue in the Plant chapter. After a series of ordeals, Raiden finally meets the President in the Shell 2 Core.
The President reveals that he was actually a willing accomplice in the terrorist act, his vital signs being the input codes to activate Arsenal Gear (the new version of Metal Gear housed in the Big Shell), but was imprisoned after a conflict of interest with Solidus Snake.
Johnson informed Raiden about the real truth behind the country, the fact that the Patriots are the true leaders of the United States. After he has revealed all that he could, Johnson demanded that Raiden assassinate him before the launch sequence confirmed his identity.
He also reveals the truth about Arsenal Gear and Solidus Snake to Raiden, and learns that he was manipulated to revolt by the Patriots as part of the S3 Plan. After giving his card key to Raiden, he is shot to death by Ocelot.
