And to respond to the OP's original point:

Hell, yes, on any individual flight I take for personal reasons, even internationally, it's hard to justify J. For example, I'm flying YYC-YVR-HKG-SIN at the end of the month, and, while I'm hoping to upgrade at least the YVR-HKG portion of the flight, it's been booked in Y.

However, this is a personal flight; I have absolutely no demands on me when I arrive in SIN, and, being *G through AC, I get lounge access throughout the trip.

I simply wouldn't fly 300K+ per year for personal reasons unless I could afford J.

As the OP is required to fly this much, I don't see J being so much to ask for, but I don't set travel policies for companies that get 200+ applicants for every advertised position. I do, however, have over 15 years of experience in an industry that regularly expects travel to the field, and J for intercontinental travel is standard throughout the industry.

TB-ES