Provided is an image processing apparatus including: a characteristic amount calculator for calculating a first characteristic amount for each pixel constituting a stained sample image; a component ratio calculator for calculating a component ratio of constituent elements in a target pixel, based on the calculation results; a reference value storage portion for storing a reference value of a second characteristic amount of each of the constituent elements; a constituent element correction coefficient calculator for calculating a constituent element correction coefficient, based on the reference value and the second characteristic amount of each of the constituent elements; a target pixel correction coefficient calculator for calculating a target pixel correction coefficient, based on the component ratio and the constituent element correction coefficient thus calculated; and a characteristic amount corrector for correcting the second characteristic amount, based on the calculation results.