A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes an upper magnet and a lower magnet arranged oppositely and concentrically, a pair of columns installed over the outer part of the upper magnet and the lower magnet in a vertical direction, and a bed having a top plate on which an object to be examined is placed and which is inserted into a measurement space between the upper magnet and the lower magnet, wherein the pair of columns are arranged oppositely with respect to a central axis of the upper magnet and the lower magnet, a cross sectional area of one of the pair of columns is made smaller than that of the other, and a direction of bed insertion is inclined to the side of the column with small cross sectional area with respect to a line perpendicular to a line connecting the centers of the pair of columns and passing through the center of the pair of magnets.