To make it possible to arbitrarily select an erasable recording method and unerasable recording method, by providing the information recording medium with a first dielectric layer having a m.p. higher than the m.p. of a phase transition recording layer and a second dielectric layer having a m.p. between the m.p. of the phase transition recording layer and the first dielectric layer.

The information recording medium 10 is irradiated with a laser beam 20 from a transparent substrate 11 side. The power of this laser beam 20 is adjusted to the extent of sufficiently melting the phase transition recording layer 12 and not melting the second dielectric layer or semiconductor layer 14. Then, the occurrence of evaporation or holding in the irradiated parts 21 of the molten phase transition recording layer 12 is averted. Next, the irradiated parts 21 are rapidly cooled and the phase transition from the crystalline to amorphous phase is induced by stopping the irradiation with the laser beam 20. The crystalline parts and amorphous parts are formed in the phase transition recording layer 12 to induce a difference in the reflectivity in such a manner, by which the erasable recording is made possible.