written report; formal response document
A formal document submitted by a committee, council, or expert body in response to an official inquiry or request for advice. Often used in governmental, legal, or corporate contexts.
The advisory council submitted a written report to the minister.
The contents of the report are scheduled to be made public next week.
報告書 is a general written report, whereas 答申書 is a formal report submitted in response to an official inquiry or request for advice.
Compound of 答申 (tōshin, 'report, reply') + 書 (sho, 'document'). 答申 itself is from 答 (tō, 'answer') and 申 (shin, 'state, report').