Optical pickup device

An optical pickup device performing at least one of operations of reproduction, erase, and recording of information upon an information-recording medium, comprising:

• a first light source emitting laser beams to an information-recording medium;
• a second light source emitting laser beams to an information-recording medium, the laser beams of the second light source having a wavelength different from that of the laser beams of the first light source and having an optical axis not parallel with that of the laser beams of the first light source;
• an optical element disposed such that the laser beams emitted by the first and second light sources travel via the optical element, the optical element making optical axes of the laser beams of the first and second light sources substantially coincident with each other at an output side of the optical element;
• and
• a monitoring light detection element receiving apart of the laser beams emitted by the first and second light sources,
• wherein the monitoring light detection element has a light-receiving surface substantially parallel with the optical axes of the laser beams of the first and second light sources.