OCCUPANT PROTECTION APPARATUS

An occupant protection apparatus includes an airbag, an upper holder, and a tension member. The airbag is disposed along side surfaces of a seat from an upper part of the seat into space under a seat surface. The upper holder is configured to hold an upper part of the airbag and disposed between and above shoulders of an occupant to sit on the seat in a right-to-left direction. The tension member is configured to, upon deployment of the airbag, apply a tensional force to a lower part of the deploying airbag to pull the lower part in a direction opposite to a side surface on which the airbag is deployed.