A negative electrode for a lithium secondary battery obtained by providing an active material layer containing particles of an active material and a binder on a surface of a current collector which is an electrically conductive metal foil, and sintering the layer under a non-oxidizing atmosphere; wherein the mean diameter of the particles of the active material is not smaller than 1 .mu.m and not greater than 10 .mu.m, and the particle size distribution of the particles is such that at least 60 volume % of the particles are in a range of not smaller than 1 .mu.m and not greater than 10 .mu.m.