Unique Trip constraints

Hi,

I will be traveling ORD to Beijing and will be on the ground for 36 hrs. Following this, I will be flying to Tokyo and will be on the ground for 2 hours. I will then fly from Tokyo to ORD. All 3 flights - ORD --> PEK --> NRT --> ORD are on the same itinerary. Will this qualify as visa-free transit? Or will Customs in China assume that the 2 hours in NRT is simply a layover for a round trip ORD --> Beijing?

Thanks,
Rahul