To optimize a coding time of a digital video coding system without making the configuration complicated.

It is required to process 8×8 blocks continuously to optimize a coding time of a variable length coding unit. An EOB signal representing an end of a block formed by run length coding processing is given to a least significant bit or a most significant bit of an address of a data table memory of a variable length code(VLC) in a ROM array and a level of zero run length and non-zero data is given to other bits. VLC and a data length of the VLC are stored in an area addressed when the EOB signal is at 'L' in the VLC data table memory and data resulting from adding the EOB code to the VLC and the data length of the VLC are stored in an area addressed when the EOB signal is at 'H'. Thus, the VLC data are generated at a high speed without requirement of a special circuit to generate the EOB code.