Optical information recording medium, method and apparatus for recording and reproducing for the same

An optical information recording medium, comprising at least one information layer that is provided on a transparent substrate and that includes a protective layer and a write-once recording layer that are disposed in this order from a side of the transparent substrate from which an optical beam is incident on the optical information recording medium,

• wherein the recording layer contains at least one selected from the group consisting of Cr—O, Zn—O, Ga—O, In—O, Sn—O, Sb—O, Bi—O, and Te—O, and
• the protective layer contains Zn—O and Cr—O, and when the total amount of all atoms other than an oxygen atom contained in the protective layer is taken as 100 atom %, the amount of atoms of Zn is 33 atom % to 96 atom % and the amount of atoms of Cr is at least 4 atom % but less than 50 atom %, in the protective layer.