To provide a drive unit capable of reducing backlash driving time while keeping stop accuracy.

A drive unit includes a motor, a control object to be driven by the motor, a transmitting mechanism which has a backlash and transmits the driving force of the motor to the control object, and control means to control the motor. The control means, in a backlash driving period from the start to the end of backlash driving, controls the driving speed of the motor below a maximum speed of the motor, and also slower as the target drive amount of the control object becomes smaller, during a second backlash driving period from the end of the first backlash driving period to the end of the backlash driving period.