A government advisory body proposed Tuesday to replace the current 47 prefectures with nine, 11 or 13 regional administrative units in order to respond better to local government needs.

The Local Government System Research Council, an advisory panel to the prime minister, reached the conclusion after two years of discussions and plans to send its recommendations to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi soon, officials said.

Changing to larger administrative units is appropriate in light of changes in administrative, taxation and financial systems, the advisory body said in its final report.