Equatorial magnetic field data in the near-Earth tail region 39 RE. The slope of the regression line for the AL index changes in a step-like fashion in the vicinity of R=9 RE. (2) Field magnitude decreases with increasing storm activity (Dst) in the region within R~12 RE, while it increases beyond R~12 RE. In contrast to the regression slope for the auroral electrojet, the slope for the Dst index changes gradually with increasing the distance from the Earth. Considering these points along with the results obtained for the lobe magnetic field, we discuss the changes in the large-scale distribution of the neutral sheet current during the course of major substorms: During the expansion onset of substorms, the neutral sheet current increases in the near-Earth magnetotail and decreases in the midmagnetotail: The neutral sheet current subsequently decreases in both the near-Earth and middistant tail regions during the recovery phase of substorms, where the current reduction is particularly evident near R=6 RE. It is also suggested that not only in the near-Earth magnetotail but in the midmagnetotail the cross-tail current is significantly enhanced during intense storms. ¿ 1999 American Geophysical Union