Information recording apparatus and method

An information recording apparatus for initializing an information record medium of repeatedly recordable type, on which at least a lead in area and a data area following the lead in area are assigned in accordance with a predetermined format, and recording record information onto the initialized information record medium, and further recording the record information onto the initialized and recorded information record medium, the record information comprising data information in the data area as main portion of the record information to be recorded and control information in the lead in area for controlling recording and reproducing operation of the data information, the control information including a last recorded address indicating an address in the data area of a last portion of the data information which is previously recorded by the recording operation, said apparatus comprising:

• a writing device for writing the data information into the data area and the control information into the lead in area;
• and
• a controlling device for controlling said writing device to write a predetermined address smaller than a head address of the data area as the last recorded address into the lead in area as one portion of the control information when initializing the information record medium, and to write the data information into the data area and the last recorded address into the lead in area as one portion of the control information when recording the record information.