Abstract: A workpiece holding apparatus include holding means for attracting and holding each workpiece in turn from among workpieces placed in a 3D space; first information acquisition means for acquiring 3D information of workpieces; candidate calculation means for calculating, based on the acquired 3D information of the workpieces, candidate holding points, the candidate holding points being, when the holding means holds each of the workpieces in turn, candidates for a holding point of that workpiece; second information acquisition means for acquiring information about each of other workpieces present within a predetermined range from each of the candidate holding points on the workpieces; and control means for selecting one of the candidate holding points based on the information about the workpiece acquired by the second information acquisition means, and controlling the holding means so that the holding means holds the workpiece at the selected candidate holding point.