A B747-400 DEVIATES FROM THE AIRWAY TO CIRCUMNAV SOME TSTMS. CLRNC TO DO THIS WAS REQUESTED FROM RJTG BUT CLRNC WAS ALWAYS REFUSED.

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KIX TO SFO FLT. REQUESTED DEV UP TO 40 MI TO GAR A VERY HVY LINE OF TSTMS. TOKYO REFUSED AUTH. I RESPONDED THAT I MUST DEV SOMEWHERE AND REQUESTED 10-20 MI S OF COURSE. REQUEST AGAIN REFUSED. I INFORMED TOKYO THAT I WAS CLBING 500 FT AND TURNING R. I ALSO (AS PER THE FLT OPS MANUAL) TURNED ON EXTERIOR LIGHTS AND BROADCAST WHAT WE WERE DOING ON 121.5. WE WERE IN CONTACT WITH ANOTHER FLT 42 NM BEHIND US AT FL350. WE BOTH SAW ONE ANOTHER ON TCASII. I ONLY GOT ABOUT 5 MI S OF COURSE; BEFORE FINDING A HOLE WHICH WE WENT THROUGH; DSNDED AND CONTINUED ON COURSE. THESE PROBS CONTINUE AS FAR AS DEVS IN THE PACIFIC. TOKYO SELDOM WILL ALLOW ANY DEV FOR WX. MY CONFLICTING TFC WAS A COMPANY B747-400 42 MI BEHIND AND 2000 FT ABOVE ME. SOMEONE ELSE MAY HAVE ALSO BEEN BEHIND ME AND LEVEL AT FL330; BUT OUTSIDE 42 MI AND NOT TCASII VISIBLE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT OUR PAX ARE AT GREATER RISK FROM FLYING THROUGH A SEVERE TSTM THAN A MIDAIR. THIS WHOLE AREA OF WX DEV; TCASII; ETC; NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS CAPT WAS FRUSTRATED AT TRYING TO GET CLRNC FROM ARTCC TO DEV AROUND SOME LARGE TSTMS. HE COULDN'T GET CLRNC SO HE TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF TO DEV AS NECESSARY. HE DID CHANGE ALT 500 FT AND SELECTED HDG TO GIVE A CLR COURSE THROUGH THE TSTM. HE HAD CONFIDENCE THAT TCASII WAS GIVING HIM SEPARATION FROM OTHER ACFT. HE WAS PREPARED TO DEV ON HIS OWN UP TO 40 MI BUT FOUND IT ONLY NECESSARY TO DEV 20 MI. CAPT SIMPLY WANTED ARTCC TO BE MORE RESPONSIVE TO HIS REQUESTS; ARTCC DECLINED ALL REQUESTS. THE ACR HE FLIES FOR DOES NOT GIVE ANY GUIDELINES OF WHAT TO DO WHEN DEV CLRNCS ARE NOT AVAILABLE.