A perpendicular magnetic recording medium, including a soft-magnetic backing layer; and a recording layer provided over the oft-magnetic backing layer. There is provided a magnetic flux slit layer between the soft-magnetic backing layer and the recording layer. The magnetic flux slit layer includes a soft-magnetic layer having a generally columnar structure generally isolated magnetically in an in-plane direction. The magnetic flux slit layer contains at least one selected from the group consisting of Co, Fe, Ni, a Co alloy, a Fe alloy, and a Ni alloy, as a major component, and the magnetic flux slit layer further contains any one selected from the group consisting of Ta, Cu, Pb, Cr, and Re.