noun
auditor; comptroller
Legal and corporate role: a person who audits accounts or oversees financial compliance. Often used in the context of companies, organizations, or government bodies.
会社の監事として、彼は毎年財務諸表をチェックする。
As the company's auditor, he checks the financial statements every year.
noun
supervisor; inspector; manager
General oversight role: someone who monitors, inspects, or manages operations. Less formal than the legal auditor sense, but still implies responsibility for checking or directing work.
工事現場では監事が安全を確認している。
At the construction site, the supervisor is checking safety.
Compound of 監 (inspect, oversee) and 事 (matter, affair). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used in administrative and corporate contexts to denote a person who oversees or audits affairs.