OSAKA — In a political move with possible national repercussions, Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto has announced that his political party, One Osaka (Osaka Ishin-no Kai), will field 82 candidates, including 40 ex-Liberal Democratic Party members, in local elections next spring 2011.

"Next year's elections will be an epic battle comparable to the Meiji Restoration's abolition of the feudal clan system and the establishment of the prefectural system," Hashimoto said at a party Wednesday evening for candidates and supporters.

The announcement is expected to fundamentally alter the local political scene no matter how many One Osaka members win.