To provide a fluorescent arc tube causing no leakage of luminescence from a gap between electrodes, high accuracy in forming a phosphor layer, and excellent resolution.

This fluorescent arc tube has an anode conductor 3 and a grid 8 provided side by side with the gap kept between them on the inner surface of a translucent and insulating substrate 1, an opening part 4 provided in the anode conductor so as to expose the substrate, and the phosphor layer 5 provided in the opening part, and the luminescence of the phosphor layer caused by the strike of an electron discharged from a cathode is observed from the outside of the base through the opening and the base. A shielding insulated layer 12 is formed in the gap between the anode conductor and the grid. The luminescence leaked to the front side from the gap between the anode and the grid formed on the base can be cut off, and the contrast of a display is enhanced. When forming the phosphor layer in the opening part of the anode conductor, it can be formed by a method to apply photosensitive phosphor paste onto the entire face of the base and expose it. This method is simpler and more accurate than a conventional method to stick the phosphor paste only to the opening part by using a mask.