Provided is a magnetic recording medium that generates near-field light within itself and enables favorable heat-assisted magnetic recording with this near-field light. The medium comprises: a magnetic recording layer; and an optically changeable layer formed on the opposite side to a substrate relative to the magnetic recording layer, the optically changeable layer being made transparent or a refractive index of the layer being changed when irradiated by light with an intensity not less than a predetermined intensity. By the irradiation, a minute opening or a refractive-index-changed area is formed within the irradiated portion on the optically changeable layer. The light irradiation onto the minute opening or the refractive-index-changed area enables near-field light to be generated, which heats a portion of the magnetic recording layer. Thus, the anisotropic field of the portion is lowered to a writable value, which enables heat-assisted magnetic recording by applying write field.