Originally Posted by
oktoberfest
Would it be any faster if the bag was checked going to Narita as it would be sent on to the flight to Beijing? Wouldn't I already be in the secure area?
If you have to claim and re-check your bags, you'll have to go through inbound Immigration, get your bags, go through Customs, check your bags, go through security, and then outbound Immigration. If you check your bags all the way through, only one step: transit security.