An optical pickup apparatus for reproducing information from an optical
disk, includes: a semiconductor laser applying a beam to an optical disk
having two recording layers through an objective lens; and a light
receiving device to which light reflected from the optical disk is
directed through the objective lens and a beam splitting device, wherein:
the beam splitting device has two first light receiving areas for
detecting a push-pull signal and a second light receiving area for
detecting a focus error signal, and a configuration is provided such that
the center of the optical axis of the reflected light in the beam
splitting device is made to lie within the second light receiving area
for detecting the focus error signal.