I've never flown on American and haven't flown with Continental for years either but my recommendation would definitely be ANA. They are a great airline all round. I've never flown long haul with JAL but have taken several domestic trips with them and was never overly impressed.
As I said on another thread regarding ANA, their service is excellent, their food is good, their IFE is good, their planes are clean and tidy and relatively comfortable. And you can choose your seat at the time of booking on their website.