A vehicle door latch apparatus comprising: a latch that is engaged with a striker and that is rotatable from an unlatched position to an over rotating position; a ratchet member that is rotatably supported by a ratchet shaft and that has a pawl portion, wherein the pawl portion is movable between a latch engaging position, where the pawl portion can face a half latch engaging portion of the latch, and a latch releasing position, where the pawl portion is not in contact with the half latch engaging portion, wherein release component force is generated in a latch releasing direction when latch return force is applied in a releasing direction at the latch engaging position, and the ratchet member is pushed out from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position by the release component force; a ratchet restraint that is arranged on a side of the ratchet member and that can be moved about a pin between a block position and a release position, wherein at the block position, the ratchet restraint abuts against the ratchet member to prevent the pawl portion of the ratchet member from moving from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position due to the release component force, and at the release position, the ratchet restraint is detached from the ratchet member to allow the pawl portion of the ratchet member to move from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position, the ratchet member has a pole lever having the pawl portion, wherein the pole lever can be disengaged from the half latch engaging portion by rotating about a connecting shaft in a latch disengaging direction when the ratchet restraint is at the block position, and the ratchet member has a base lever that is rotatably supported by the ratchet shaft, and the pole lever is rotatably supported on the base lever by the connecting shaft, characterized in that the base lever includes a bifurcated portion, and the connecting shaft is arranged inside of the bifurcated portion such that a gap is formed between the bifurcated portion and the pole lever, wherein the gap allows the pole lever to rotate relative to the base lever within a predetermined rotation angle. a latch that is engaged with a striker and that is rotatable from an unlatched position to an over rotating position; a ratchet member that is rotatably supported by a ratchet shaft and that has a pawl portion, wherein the pawl portion is movable between a latch engaging position, where the pawl portion can face a half latch engaging portion of the latch, and a latch releasing position, where the pawl portion is not in contact with the half latch engaging portion, wherein release component force is generated in a latch releasing direction when latch return force is applied in a releasing direction at the latch engaging position, and the ratchet member is pushed out from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position by the release component force; a ratchet restraint that is arranged on a side of the ratchet member and that can be moved about a pin between a block position and a release position, wherein at the block position, the ratchet restraint abuts against the ratchet member to prevent the pawl portion of the ratchet member from moving from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position due to the release component force, and at the release position, the ratchet restraint is detached from the ratchet member to allow the pawl portion of the ratchet member to move from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position, the ratchet member has a pole lever having the pawl portion, wherein the pole lever can be disengaged from the half latch engaging portion by rotating about a connecting shaft in a latch disengaging direction when the ratchet restraint is at the block position, and the ratchet member has a base lever that is rotatably supported by the ratchet shaft, and the pole lever is rotatably supported on the base lever by the connecting shaft, characterized in that the base lever includes a bifurcated portion, and the connecting shaft is arranged inside of the bifurcated portion such that a gap is formed between the bifurcated portion and the pole lever, wherein the gap allows the pole lever to rotate relative to the base lever within a predetermined rotation angle.