The planar lighting device includes a light source having at least one LED chip for emitting blue light through a light emission face, a transparent light guide plate having at least one light entrance plane through which light emitted by the light source is admitted and a light exit plane through which the light admitted through the at least one light entrance plane is emitted as planar light, and a fluorescent member disposed between the light emission face and each of the at least one light entrance plane and having a fluorescent substance coated area for emitting white light by converting the blue light from the light source into the white light and blue light passing areas through which the blue light from the light source is allowed to pass as the blue light.