PURPOSE: To produce a porous sintered compact having spherical continuous pores free from closed core and larger than the grains.

CONSTITUTION: This porous sintered compact consists of at least one high melting point metal selected from W and Mo and has a structure in which spherical pores 2 of 0.01-5mm diameter continue in a bubble state and the neighboring pores are connected to each other via boundaries composed of the high melting point metal. This porous sintered compact can be produced by mixing a powder consisting of at least one high melting metal selected from W and Mo, a foaming organic substance, and water and/or water glass, agitating and foaming the resulting mixture, and then performing heating and sintering in a hydrogen stream or in vacuum.