IMAGE RETRIEVAL APPARATUS AND METHOD

An image feature amount extraction unit segments an image into a plurality of blocks and calculates the feature amount of each block. A feature amount label string generation unit adds a label to each block in accordance with the feature amount acquired for the block and arranges the labels on the basis of a predetermined block sequence to generate a label string. In retrieval, the similarity between the label string of a specified image and that of an image to be compared is calculated, and an image whose similarity exceeds a predetermined value is output as a retrieval result. In this way, similar image retrieval can be performed in consideration of the arrangement of feature amounts of images, and simultaneously, similar image retrieval can be performed while absorbing any difference due to a variation in photographing condition or the like.