A traffic signal recognition apparatus comprising: a captured image acquisition unit configured to acquire a captured image around an own vehicle from an image capturing unit on-vehicle; an own vehicle position acquisition unit configured to acquire a current position of the own vehicle; a target traffic signal specifying unit configured (i) to refer to map information and (ii) to specify a traffic signal to be targeted; a traffic signal image area extraction unit configured to extract an image area of a traffic signal from the captured image by using position information about the specified traffic signal, the position of the own vehicle and image capturing property information about the image capturing unit; and a traffic signal content recognition unit configured to recognize a traffic signal content of the traffic signal by using an image of the traffic signal included in the extracted image area; wherein the map information includes traveling link data and traffic signal data; the traveling link data includes traveling links (LKU, LKD), each traveling link (LKU, LKD) including a start point and an end point; and the traffic signal data includes the position information about the traffic signal to be targeted; characterized in that each traveling link (LKU, LKD) of the traveling link data is a directed link defined by the start point, the end point and, in addition, by an up direction or a down direction; and each traveling link (LKD, LKU) further includes: a connected link which is connected to the end point of the traveling link (LKU, LKD) and traveling direction information which specifies a traveling direction including straight ahead or right turn or left turn; and a single reference to the traffic signal data that specifies the traffic signal to be targeted for the traveling link (LKU, LKD); wherein an individual traffic link (LKU, LKD, LKU2A - LKU2C) is defined for each traffic lane of a road comprising two or more lanes with the same direction of travel; and a different traveling link is assigned to each of the left-turn lane (LKU2C), right-turn lane (LKU2B) and straight-ahead lane (LKU2A). a captured image acquisition unit configured to acquire a captured image around an own vehicle from an image capturing unit on-vehicle; an own vehicle position acquisition unit configured to acquire a current position of the own vehicle; a target traffic signal specifying unit configured (i) to refer to map information and (ii) to specify a traffic signal to be targeted; a traffic signal image area extraction unit configured to extract an image area of a traffic signal from the captured image by using position information about the specified traffic signal, the position of the own vehicle and image capturing property information about the image capturing unit; and a traffic signal content recognition unit configured to recognize a traffic signal content of the traffic signal by using an image of the traffic signal included in the extracted image area; wherein the map information includes traveling link data and traffic signal data; the traveling link data includes traveling links (LKU, LKD), each traveling link (LKU, LKD) including a start point and an end point; and the traffic signal data includes the position information about the traffic signal to be targeted; characterized in that each traveling link (LKU, LKD) of the traveling link data is a directed link defined by the start point, the end point and, in addition, by an up direction or a down direction; and each traveling link (LKD, LKU) further includes: a connected link which is connected to the end point of the traveling link (LKU, LKD) and traveling direction information which specifies a traveling direction including straight ahead or right turn or left turn; and a single reference to the traffic signal data that specifies the traffic signal to be targeted for the traveling link (LKU, LKD); wherein an individual traffic link (LKU, LKD, LKU2A - LKU2C) is defined for each traffic lane of a road comprising two or more lanes with the same direction of travel; and a different traveling link is assigned to each of the left-turn lane (LKU2C), right-turn lane (LKU2B) and straight-ahead lane (LKU2A). a connected link which is connected to the end point of the traveling link (LKU, LKD) and traveling direction information which specifies a traveling direction including straight ahead or right turn or left turn; and a single reference to the traffic signal data that specifies the traffic signal to be targeted for the traveling link (LKU, LKD); wherein an individual traffic link (LKU, LKD, LKU2A - LKU2C) is defined for each traffic lane of a road comprising two or more lanes with the same direction of travel; and a different traveling link is assigned to each of the left-turn lane (LKU2C), right-turn lane (LKU2B) and straight-ahead lane (LKU2A).