Twenty years of the history of the International Society of Paddy and Water Environment Engineering (PAWEES) are reviewed, focusing on a retrospective review and discussion of issues from the seven-year period from 2000 to 2006, including the preparatory period leading up to its establishment. PAWEES was established on January 1, 2003 in collaboration with three related societies in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, triggered by the need for the training of engineers in paddy field agricultural engineering and to obtain the international recognition of such a discipline for the international accreditation of engineering education programs. Since its inception, PAWEES has become a substantial international society through the continuous publication of an international journal, international conferences, and research meetings. For its future development, it is crucial to expand the network to focus on countries and regions with paddy farming and to develop human resources with an international outlook. This paper is based on authors’ personal information obtained through their participation in various activities concerning PAWEES and the publication of the journal Paddy and Water Environment (PAWE).