Around 60 people, including many from the corporate world, had applied for 24 Osaka city ward chief positions as of Tuesday, one day before the deadline.
As a major part of his efforts to revitalize the city, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto is advertising nationwide for people who share his goal of merging the city and prefecture into a single entity.
He plans to give the new ward heads far more authority over budget and personnel decisions than they now have. The chiefs will be subject to a performance review and those who don't meet expectations will be let go.