A semiconductor device, includes a memory cell including a thyristor element with a gate having a pnpn structure formed on a semiconductor substrate and having first and second terminals, and an access transistor formed on the semiconductor substrate and having first and second terminals connected to a bit line and the first terminal of the thyristor element, respectively, and a control section including a load current element whose load current flows, upon reading out operation, to the second terminal side of the thyristor element and configured to carry out access control to the memory cell.