An apparatus for driving a self-luminescent display panel is provided with a plurality of luminescent elements 14 that are arranged at intersection positions of a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scanning lines. One frame period is time-divided into N subframe periods (N is a positive integer). A gradation display is set by an accumulated sum of one or plural lighting control periods. The apparatus is provided with first gradation control means (21, 24, 25, 26, 30) for lighting at least two other subframe periods at a brightness level a in addition to subframe periods lit at a brightness level a−1, assuming that a is an integer satisfying 0