To provide an image forming method which is carried out through easy steps and utilizes an easily erasable wet latent image.

A selective exposure means 3 selectively radiates a light beam 15b on a layer 1b which is made hydrophilic by light and contains oxide of a 4th to 6th period metal having 1.5-3.6 eV band gap and forms a wet latent image comprising a hydrophilic region having an enhanced hydrophilicity under the light beam and a hydrophobic region having a lower hydrophilicity than the hydrophilic region because of no light beam. A developing means 5 makes the wet latent image visible with ink. A transfer means 7 transfers the visible ink image to a recording medium 20. A latent image erasing means 11 heats the layer 1b to lower the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic region to the original level before light radiation and to erase the wet latent image.