Image processing apparatus and image processing method

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• a recognition processor configured to recognize characters displayed on an image;
• a confirmation processor configured to confirm that a predetermined element image is included in each of a plurality of pages of read images;
• a controller configured to control the recognition processor to recognize characters displayed in a recognition region, the recognition region determined relative to a region where the element image is formed;
• and
• a generation processor configured to generate a data file as a single file based on a recognition result of a page by the recognition processor, the page having a predetermined relationship with a page of the read image that is confirmed to include the element image by the confirmation processor.