The Home Affairs Ministry plans to submit a set of bills to the Diet March 10 to revise laws to convert Tokyo's 23 wards into full-fledge municipalities in April 2000, ministry officials said March 9.

The 23 wards have a total population of about 8 million, but are under special control of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. They are given less administrative and financial authority than other municipalities.

The bills would give more tax revenues to the wards, including corporate and fixed-asset taxes, and transfer a number of administrative functions from the metro government, including public works projects, garbage collection and trash disposal.

The metro and 23 ward governments have long campaigned to expand the authority of the wards, and the ministry agreed in November to prepare the necessary bills.