• October 2005 - The mayor of
Biei, a town in Japan's
Hokkaido prefecture, initiates the founding of the association. 7 towns join the initiative. • February 2006 - The Association of the Most Beautiful Village in Japan is officially registered as a Japanese Non-Profit Organization. • October 2006 -
Kiso, a town in
Nagano Prefecture, and
Takaharu, a town in
Miyazaki Prefecture, join the association. • October 2007 -
Shibetsu, a town in
Hokkaido prefecture, and
Gero, a city in
Gifu Prefecture, join the association. • October 2008 -
Tsurui village,
Kyōgoku (a town in
Hokkaido prefecture),
Iide (a town in
Yamagata Prefecture),
Nakagawa village,
Nagiso (a town in
Nagano Prefecture),
Ine (a town in
Kyoto Prefecture), and
Umaji (a village in
Kōchi Prefecture) join the association. • October 2009 - With the addition of 15 new towns and villages, the total membership of the association reaches 33. • August 2010 - The Association of The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan joins the international federation
The Most Beautiful Villages in the World. • September 2010 - 6 more towns and villages join the association, increasing its total membership to 39. • October 2011 - 5 more towns and villages join the association, increasing its total membership to 44. • October 2012 - 5 more towns and villages join the association, increasing its total membership to 49. == List of member villages and towns ==