This list of the 100 Terraced Rice Fields of Japan (日本の棚田百選, Nihon no tanada hyakusen) is an initiative by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to promote the maintenance and preservation of the terraces alongside public interest in agriculture and rural areas. In 1999, some 134 terraces were selected by a committee of academics from nominations by each prefecture, in 117 municipalities from Tōhoku to Kyūshū.