A protective layer of a plasma display panel has a base protective layer formed of a thin film of a metal oxide, and a particle layer. The particle layer is formed by sticking, to the base protective layer, single-crystal particles of magnesium oxide such that the emission intensity of a peak at 200 nm to 300 nm is at least twice the emission intensity of a peak at 300 nm to 550 nm in an emission spectrum of cathode luminescence light emission. A panel driving circuit drives the panel in a manner that a second subfield group having a plurality of subfields is temporally disposed after a first subfield group having a plurality of subfields to form one field period. Each subfield of the first subfield group has initializing period (Ti), address period (Tw) for forming wall charge to cause a sustain discharge, and sustain period (Ts). Each subfield of the second subfield group has address period (Tw) for erasing wall charge necessary for causing a sustain discharge, and sustain period (Ts).