secretariat councillor; assistant vice-minister; deputy director-general
A senior official title in Japanese government ministries and agencies, typically ranking just below vice-minister. The exact English equivalent varies by organization.
He was appointed as a secretariat councillor this year.
The assistant vice-minister is responsible for important policy coordination within the ministry.
Compound of 官房 (secretariat) + 審議官 (councillor). A modern bureaucratic title with no special historical derivation.