noun
counties and prefectures
Historical administrative term referring to the local government units of counties (郡) and prefectures (県) in pre-modern Japan, especially in the context of the Ritsuryō system.
律令制下では、国・郡・里の三段階の地方行政組織が敷かれ、後に郡県制が導入された。
Under the Ritsuryō system, a three-tier local administrative structure of provinces, counties, and villages was established, and later the county-prefecture system was introduced.