A contact mechanism includes an opening/closing fixed contact, an opening/closing movable contact opposed to the opening/closing fixed contact, and a permanent magnet configured to extend an arc that occurs between the opening/closing fixed contact and the opening/closing movable contact in a predetermined direction. In particular, an arc that occurs from contact surface regions where the opening/closing fixed contact and the opening/closing movable contact make contact with each other is extended by a magnetic force of the permanent magnet and moved to non-contact surface regions where the opening/closing fixed contact and the opening/closing movable contact make no contact with each other.