A recognition processing apparatus for use in a vehicle, the recognition processing apparatus comprising: a video acquisition unit configured to acquire first captured image data of surroundings of a host vehicle captured by a far-infrared camera; an other vehicle detection unit configured to detect from the first captured image data another vehicle in the surroundings of the host vehicle and determine the other vehicle is parked or stopped based on a positional relationship between the detected other vehicle and an object surrounding the detected other vehicle being constant; a heat detection unit configured to detect, from a thermal distribution in a region corresponding to the other vehicle determined to be parked or stopped in the first captured image data, radiated heat caused by an operation of the other vehicle; and a person detection unit configured to set a region in a vicinity of the other vehicle in the first captured image data as a detection target region, perform person recognition on an entirety of the first captured image data with the use of a person detection dictionary when no heat radiation caused by an operation of the other vehicle is detected, and to execute the person recognition in the detection target region with the use of a boarding/alighting person detection dictionary to detect a person when the radiated heat associated with the operation of the other vehicle is detected, wherein the person detection dictionary and the boarding/alighting person detection dictionary are created through machine learning of videos or images in which a person appears, or a person getting in or getting out of a vehicle appears, respectively. a video acquisition unit configured to acquire first captured image data of surroundings of a host vehicle captured by a far-infrared camera; an other vehicle detection unit configured to detect from the first captured image data another vehicle in the surroundings of the host vehicle and determine the other vehicle is parked or stopped based on a positional relationship between the detected other vehicle and an object surrounding the detected other vehicle being constant; a heat detection unit configured to detect, from a thermal distribution in a region corresponding to the other vehicle determined to be parked or stopped in the first captured image data, radiated heat caused by an operation of the other vehicle; and a person detection unit configured to set a region in a vicinity of the other vehicle in the first captured image data as a detection target region, perform person recognition on an entirety of the first captured image data with the use of a person detection dictionary when no heat radiation caused by an operation of the other vehicle is detected, and to execute the person recognition in the detection target region with the use of a boarding/alighting person detection dictionary to detect a person when the radiated heat associated with the operation of the other vehicle is detected, wherein the person detection dictionary and the boarding/alighting person detection dictionary are created through machine learning of videos or images in which a person appears, or a person getting in or getting out of a vehicle appears, respectively.