1. A moving picture encoding apparatus for dividing a frame image as a coding target in a moving picture signal consisting of a temporal series of frame image signals, into a plurality of target regions, detecting motion vectors for the respective target regions with reference to a plurality of frame images different from the frame image as the coding target, and thereby performing coding based on motion compensation, the moving picture encoding apparatus comprising: motion vector predicting means for performing; based on a temporal relation among an adjacent reference frame image referred to for detecting a motion vector of an adjacent region adjacent to a target region, a target reference frame image referred to for detecting a motion vector of the target region, and a target frame image being the frame image as the coding target, or based on time information thereof, a correction of scaling the motion vector of the adjacent region adjacent to the target region on the basis of the target reference frame image; and a determination of an optimum predicted motion vector based on the motion vector of the adjacent region adjacent to the target region; and thereby predicting the optimum predicted motion vector after the correction.