Error correction decoder with correction of lowest soft decisions

A decoder comprising an error correction processing section for performing an error correction processing involving a soft decision processing, and a hard decision result determining section for determining correctness of a result of hard decision, wherein the decoder receives encoded data in unit of a predetermined data sequence and,

• wherein the decoder further comprises a soft decision data correcting section for forcibly correcting soft decision data of lower reliability in the data sequence to soft decision data indicative of high reliability, and
• correction of soft decision data by the soft decision data correcting section, the error correction processing by the error correction processing section and hard decision result determining processing by the hard decision result determining section are repeatedly performed until the hard decision result determining section decides that the result of hard decision is right,
• wherein the soft decision data correcting section corrects data to high reliability data, in order of reliability lowness.