I just finished booking the return (I’d already booked the outbound trip) with AA miles. Award space wasn’t available on the return when I booked the outbound segments.
Total for Business Class on JAL/Malaysia (SAN-NRT-KUL and the reverse on the return) was 140,000 AA miles + $102 in fees/taxes.
I may still buy a better return itinerary with real money, as this one has a 10-hour layover at NRT (although other options required three segments and about the same amount of time in transit)… but for now at least I have Plan A in place.