A resistance variable layer has a characteristic in which the resistance variable layer changes to a second resistance state (RL) in such a manner that its resistance value stops decreasing when an interelectrode voltage reaches a first voltage (V1) which is a negative voltage, the resistance variable layer changes to a first resistance state (RH) in such a manner that its resistance value starts increasing when the interelectrode voltage reaches a second voltage (V2) which is a positive voltage which is equal in absolute value to the first voltage, the resistance variable layer changes to the first resistance state in such a manner that the resistance variable layer flows an interelectrode current such that the interelectrode voltage is maintained at a third voltage (V3) higher than the second voltage, when the interelectrode voltage reaches the third voltage, and the resistance variable layer changes to the first resistance state in such a manner that its resistance value stops increasing when the interelectrode current reaches a first current (Ilim) in a state where the interelectrode voltage is not lower than the second voltage and lower than the third voltage, and the load resistor has a characteristic in which when the electric pulse application device outputs an electric pulse of a second application voltage (VP2), a current flowing by applying to the load resistor, a voltage obtained by subtracting the third voltage from the second application voltage, is not higher than a first current value.