PURPOSE: To enhance the lightfastness of a developed color image by using an N-substituted anthranilic acid derivative represented by a predetermined formula or a metal salt thereof as a coupler.

CONSTITUTION: A coating soln. containing microcapsules of an electron donating dye precursor and an emulsified dispersion of a coupler dissolved in an org. solvent is applied to a support to form a thermal layer and a protective layer is formed on the thermal layer to obtain a thermal recording material. As the coupler, an N-substituted anthranilic acid derivative represented by formula I or II or a metal salt thereof is used. In the formulae I, II R1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group, R2 is an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group, an alkylamino group, an alkyloxy group, an aryloxy group or an arylamino group, X is an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom, M is an n-valent metal and n is an integer.