This invention provides a technique which ensures that if a recording error occurs in an optical disc, recorded data will be immediately erased from the disc without leaking to third parties. While recording data onto the optical disc, a controller judges whether the recording process has been executed to completion properly. If the recording process is judged to have failed, the controller will stop the recording process and activate an optical pickup to erase recorded data from the data-recording area on the optical disc by overwriting this area with required erasing data.