Twenty-two new ward chiefs inaugurated this month in the Japanese city of Osaka are expected to play key roles in each district to promote Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's attempt to strengthen the city under his "Osaka Metropolis Plan."

And residents of the city are watching carefully whether or not the ward chiefs can make major improvements to their daily lives while in the end achieving concrete results in cutting out dual administrative functions and costs.

The appointment ceremony was held Wednesday at City Hall and Hashimoto ordered the new chiefs to act as the central players in the municipal administration reform to bring the metropolis plan to fruition.

The plan would merge Osaka City and Osaka Prefecture into a single administrative entity known as a metropolitan government, while the city would be realigned into several special autonomous wards.

After Hashimoto demonstrated a strong desire to enter national politics alongside his allies, seven main political parties including the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party and others jointly submitted a bill to the Diet on Monday, which would allow local governments to establish special administrative wards similar to the 23 wards in Tokyo, the country's capital.

At the ceremony, Hashimoto told the new leaders that the bill is expected to pass during the current Diet session.

He also noted that Japan has not seen such a big political movement since the Meiji Restoration (a series of political reforms that restored sovereignty to the emperor in 1868).

Shota Mizutani, a 27-year-old former NHK news reporter and the youngest member among the 22 new ward chiefs, told reporters that he has long been interested in the politics of local government.

"Even if I may be less experienced and have less charisma than Mr. Hashimoto, I will make an effort to serve all residents in the ward," he said.

Akihiko Ogawa, a 60-year-old former employee of the Iwate prefectural government and the oldest chief, said he would like to take a series of measures to simplify the complicated decision- making processes inside the city government, utilizing the know- how he acquired from successful reform models applied during his tenure in the northeastern Japanese prefecture of Iwate.

"I am determined to devote the rest of my life to the people of Osaka City," Ogawa said.

In September, the mayor will also appoint two more businessmen as new ward chiefs, who are currently living abroad due to their work.

The selection process for the new leaders was a particular focus of public attention because the city ward chiefs were entirely selected through "public invitation," the first of its kind in a major Japanese city.

Hashimoto initially proposed the metropolis plan late last year soon after he became mayor. His timing was intended to attract the interest of people from diverse backgrounds, both from within and outside the public sector.

A total of 1,461 people, including 30 city employees, eventually applied for the ward chief posts.

After a screening of the written applications, a dedicated working team selected remaining candidates for final interviews. Hashimoto formed the team with former Yokohama Mayor Hiroshi Nakata, serving as a "special adviser" to the Osaka Mayor.

Among the 24 new chiefs, 18 were appointed from the private sector, including businessmen and women who have worked for trading houses, manufacturers and consulting firms, while a few are incumbent ward chiefs.

Traditionally, ward chief posts have been handed out to senior officials from the city bureaucracy every couple of years.

The change is aimed to make the chiefs respond promptly to local residents' demands.

However, according to local press report, their positions are not guaranteed for the long term because Hashimoto has already shared his idea of reorganizing the current 24 wards into eight or nine in a few years, part of his eventual goal of one political entity for the entire prefecture.

He has also proposed introducing elections by popular vote to choose ward chiefs, as in Tokyo.