A light-emitting element drive device for driving a light-emitting element includes a capacitor that is charged by a power supply and is for supplying a current to the light-emitting element, a first wire for allowing the current to flow from the capacitor to the light-emitting element, a second wire through which a current that is output from the light-emitting element flows, a first switch for switching a state of the capacitor between a charged state in which the capacitor is charged by the power supply and a discharged state in which the current is supplied from the capacitor to the light-emitting element, a diode that is reversely connected to the first wire and the second wire in parallel with the light emitting element, and a resistance element connected in series with the diode. The diode is a body diode included in a field-effect transistor.