An ultrasonic photoacoustic imaging apparatus which includes a probe incorporating an
array transducer having a plurality of transducers and an acoustic
image generation unit that generates, based on a mixed
signal obtained by converting an
acoustic wave, in which an ultrasonic wave and a photoacoustic wave are mixed and making use of a difference between phase shift aspect of electrical signals of the ultrasonic
waves from the same reflection source in the inside of the subject and phase shift aspect of electrical signals of the photoacoustic
waves from the same generation source in the inside of the subject, an electrical
signal reflecting the ultrasonic wave and an electrical
signal reflecting the photoacoustic wave, and generates an ultrasonic
image based on the electrical signal reflecting the ultrasonic wave and a photoacoustic
image based on the electrical signal reflecting the photoacoustic wave.