Can a US passport transit through Narita from HNL (change planes 1 45 minutes )

Taking a cruise that sails from Shanghai to Singapore and the first port after departing Shanghai is Hakata, Japan. Is a visa mandatory to transit through Japan with a 4 and a half hour layover?
The flights from Honolul to Shanghai operate via HNL with a 4:30 layover, change of planes.
Passengers are telling the travel agent they were flown to Shanghai from Narita then denied entry into China becasue the flight had a change of planes in Honolulu, it that correct? We have contacted the cruise line and visa central and both have told us that as long as they are just transiting through they can do this without a China entry permit.

Please advise
Thank you,