In the U.K., it is sometimes said that the company secretary is the conscience of the company. From this it is clear that this is a very established role in the U.K., with greater impact than the U.S. and Japan. Some say that this role should be clearly adopted by statutory auditors in Japan.
From thisreport/survey by theComany Secretarial Services Quality House, one can get a better idea of what company secretaries in the U.K. actually do:
http://bdti.mastertree.jp/f/xha7jdqt
(Click on (アセットのオリジナルをダウンロードする) at the lower right to download the file. )
The Board Director Training Institute (BDTI) is a "public interest" nonprofit in Japan dedicated to training about directorship, corporate governance, and related management techniques. It is certified by the Japanese government to conduct these activities as a regulated nonprofit. Read a summary about BDTI here, and see a menu of its services for both corporations and investors here.