To reduce a leakage current and to easily mount a drive device even in a narrow space by dividing a drive device for driving a cold cathode tube to plural parts, also separating a drive circuit to a signal circuit part and a power system circuit part and thus, driving the cold cathode tube.

A cold cathode tube 2 for backlight of liquid crystal 1 is arranged on one long side of the liquid crystal 1 along its longitudinal direction. A chipped first inverter, that is a first drive circuit 3 is constituted of a so-called power system circuit and is assembled near to the cold cathode tube 2, that is in the space part of the side of the liquid crystal 1 and a wiring distance with the cold cathode tube 2 is shortened. A second inverter, that is a second drive circuit 4 is constituted of a signal system circuit, they are connected electrically through wiring 5 by a cable or an FPC, the output of the first drive circuit 3 is connected to the cold cathode tube 2 through wiring 6 for a high voltage and the drive device performing prescribed operation to turn on and control the cold cathode tube 2 is constituted.