In a state that a plate-shaped insulator is disposed adjacent to a plate-shaped electrode, a discharge gas containing an inert gas is supplied to a vicinity of a processing object from one gas exhaust port located nearer from the plate-shaped electrode, out of at least two-line gas exhaust ports which are disposed around the plate-shaped electrode and which are formed so as to be surrounded by the plate-shaped insulator and moreover which are different in distance to the plate-shaped electrode from each other, while a discharge control gas is supplied from the other gas exhaust port to the vicinity of the processing object. Simultaneously with the supply of the gases, electric power is supplied to the plate-shaped electrode or the processing object, by which plasma processing of the processing object is carried out. Thus, plasma processing method and apparatus capable of processing for desired fine linear portions with high precision are provided.