AA did not start LAX-NRT till 2004, and JL joined OneWorld in 2007. I think in 2000 flying LAX-NRT on AA metal was LAX-SJC-NRT. AA operated SJC-NRT from 1991 to 2006. Living in L.A. back in 2000 as an AA flyer, I do remember the usual scene in the morning at the AA check-in counter people with Japanese passports checking in for SJC flight. I remember AA tried to fill the SJC-NRT flight with LAX-SJC-NRT and LAS-SJC-NRT passengers. AA had a lone LAS-SJC flight by MD80 back then. I once did fly LAS-SJC-LAX because that was cheapest, all LAS-LAX non-stop was more, and remember LAS-SJC and SJC-LAX flights had a large number of passengers connecting to/from SJC-NRT flight.