have you considered redeeming an award for nrt-tpe? both ua and nw can get you there and back for 20k in y or 30k in j (nw lets you split classes too).

however, if i were you, i'd be thinking quite seriously about throwing $800 or so BR's direction and picking up ED seats on a flight that doesn't require you to go to japan. sure, ed falls significantly short of aa j, but the fact that br nonstop and that you'd be able to keep your VIPs for future use, makes a strong case for br, in my view. furthermore, you can earn continental miles.

of course, you would lose out on ~25k aa miles plus eqms, but how much of a premium are you willing to pay for these perks?