To provide a drum brake device capable of improving braking performance by preventing high speed juddering by minimizing a variation level of braking torque without producing non-uniform temperature distribution on a frictional sliding surface of a drum.

A leading shoe 30 is constituted of a roughly crescent web 30a extending in a direction orthogonal with an axis of rotation of a drum, a rim 30b making a circular arc plate shape and to the peripheral direction of a plate width central part of which an outer peripheral end surface of the web is fixed and a brake lining 30C fixed to an outer peripheral curved surface of this rim and a lining surface of which is opposed to a frictional sliding surface of the drum. A slit 30d continued in the peripheral direction on a central part of lining width is formed on a lining surface of the brake lining 30c so as to be positioned on the back side of the web.