Below is the answer for the first PA Q+A . If you have a question you’d like to ask the Prefectural Advisors, or want to see other Q+As, click here.

Question

My contracting organization is asking me for information about my upcoming vacation – isn’t this an invasion of privacy?

Answer

While it is not necessary to offer detailed information on who you are traveling with or what you will be doing during your trip, you are required to give your trip itinerary including dates, destinations and emergency contact information to your CO before leaving. This information is collected purely for emergency purposes, and it is meant to secure your safety.

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, CLAIR has set official guidelines stipulating that COs contact and confirm the safety of their JETs after a natural disaster or emergency regardless of whether their own area/prefecture was affected, because of the possibility that a JET may have been traveling in the disaster-affected area at the time.

It is worth noting that CLAIR also directs COs to designate only one person to handle the collected information. Typically, this would mean that your travel info would be kept by your supervisor and not shared with anyone else – only in the case of an emergency would they pass the information on to your bosses, kencho and CLAIR.

Answered by PAs 2014/2/28.