Abstract We have investigated supernova remnant (SNR) W 28 using Suzaku archival data, and we report here the results of our spatially resolved analyses. We carried out spectral analyses using a recombining-plasma (RP) model with element-dependent initial ionization temperatures, obtaining ∼0.5 keV for Ne, ∼0.7 keV for Mg, ∼1.0 keV for Si, ∼1.2 keV for S, ∼1.4 keV for Ar, ∼1.7 keV for Ca, and ∼0.7 keV for Fe in the initial RP phase. In addition to the north-east regions where RPs have been reported previously, we find that the ionization temperatures in the south-east and south-west regions exhibit trends that are similar to those in the central region in the initial RP phase. We also find that the time elapsed from the initial phase of the RP to the present is shorter in the central region, ∼300 yr, and longer in the outside regions, ∼103–104 yr. Our results cannot be explained by simple scenarios involving thermal conduction into molecular clouds or by adiabatic cooling (due to rarefaction), indicating that more complex mechanisms or other scenarios are required. We also estimate the ejecta mass to be ≳14 M⊙, which indicates that this SNR was produced by a massive star.