To improve safety with respect to human eyes in a photoacoustic imaging apparatus without providing additional physical means.[Constitution]A probe (11) irradiates a light beam guided thereto from a laser unit (13) onto a subject, transmits acoustic waves to the subject, and receives acoustic waves from the subject. The probe (11) transmits and receives acoustic waves prior to generating a photoacoustic image. An imaging means (23) generates a reflected acoustic wave image based on the reception results of ultrasonic waves. A contact state judging means (26) judges whether the probe (11) is in contact with the subject, based on the reflected acoustic wave image. A control means (24) outputs a laser oscillation trigger when the contact state judging means (26) judges that the probe (11) is in contact with the subject, and cause the light beam to be irradiated onto the subject from the probe (11).
