The Australia routes also feature a sub-standard product. Recently took a flight Brisbane-Narita, and the seats were manual from atleast two generations ago and entertainment abysmal. However I always find JAL service to be polite and courteous, though they do show bias to those who are from a Japanese background or to those who can speak Japanese. The Sakura Lounge at Tokyo was basically a room with chairs, very dark with no food except for crackers etc. On a seperate note, with Qantas flying Skybed on Sydney and Melbourne routes, and rumours that a Qantas Club would open in Tokyo, one would think an airline like JAL will have to improve or pull out.

I think going via Hong Kong would be a bit more of a detour to get to Beijing than travelling via Tokyo. If you want a Japanese experience and shorter travel time, fly JAL. However CX from my experience is better overall.