To provide a driving method which enables an improvement in emission efficiency and achievement of a higher degree of brightness when employing the scheme of simultaneously driving address and display.

Taking the 3-bit 8-gradation display as an example, a 1H period at the top (one horizontal scan period) of each of subfields is divided into 3 regions, which are a first region, a second region, and a third region in the order of time. In each of the lines, an address period (address pulse PA and scan pulse PAY) of the subfield SF1 is set in its first region, an address period of the subfield SF2 is set in its second region and an address period of the subfield SF3 is set in its third region. The regions other than those in which the address period is set are used as the discharge sustaining (sustain) period, and a time length of each of sustain pulses PS is set to 1/3 of the length of the 1H period. A reset period achieved by a reset pulse PR and a writing period achieved by a priming pulse PP are set in the region where the address period is set.