Local governments in Japan have taken differing stances on the collection of frequent flyer miles. In June, the central government instructed all its employees to stop collecting or using miles. But a month later, the government reversed its stance, and told its employees to start collecting miles to use for future business trips, thereby saving the taxpayers money.

And you could say that some members of the government see earning and using frequent flyer miles as patriotic. Kunio Hosaka, the former mayor of Shiki, is an expert on issues concerning local governments. “It is the responsibility of all local governments toward their taxpayers to use every means possible to cut expenditures. By not taking advantage of air miles programs, they are evading that responsibility,” he said, quoted in asahi.com.