To prevent damage of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane at the stopping time of power generation of a fuel cell.

In the stopping method of power generation of the fuel cell 1 wherein power generation is carried out by using air supplied by an air compressor 7 and hydrogen supplied by a hydrogen supplying means 13 as reaction gases, at the stopping time of the power generation of the fuel cell 1, air off-gas discharged from the cathode of the fuel cell 1 is recirculated and supplied to the cathode, and the power generation is continued by using residual oxygen in the air off-gas, and when the power generation voltage becomes a prescribed value or less, the power generation is stopped.