A near-field photomask includes a light shield film having openings to constitute a light shield portion. The photomask can be used to expose an exposure target with near-field light generated through the openings. The openings formed in the light shield film include two or more parallel rows of first slit openings each having a width smaller than 100 nm, and two or more parallel rows of second slit openings each having a width smaller than 100 nm, which extend perpendicularly to the rows of first slit openings while interlinking at least two of the rows of first slit openings. A near-field exposure apparatus includes the near-field photomask with a positioning unit and a source for illuminating polarized light parallel to the first slit openings for forming a latent-dot-image on an exposure target only where a second slit opening crosses the light shield portion on the near-field photomak.