A drive device (15, 15a) for a power converter, the drive device being configured to drive the power converter that includes a switching element formed from a wide bandgap semiconductor, the device comprising: a PWM-signal output unit that is configured to generate a drive signal for driving the switching element with PWM; an on-speed reducing unit (13, 13a) that is configured to, when the switching element is changed from off to on, generate a gate drive signal obtained by reducing a time change rate of the drive signal immediately after a start and immediately before completion of an operation transition time of the switching element from off to on compared with a time change rate of the drive signal during the operation transition time excluding a time immediately after the start and immediately before the completion; and an off-speed improving unit that is configured to, when the switching element is changed from on to off, draw charge from the switching element with a charge drawing capability higher than that at a time when the switching element is changed from off to on, characterized in that the on-speed reducing unit (13, 13a) includes: a CR low-pass filter (R, C) configured to generate a low-pass filtered drive signal from the drive signal; a waveform generating unit configured to generate a signal having a predetermined waveform; a comparator configured to compare the signal generated by the waveform generating unit and the low-pass filtered drive signal; and an AND circuit configured to AND a signal output from the comparator and the low-pass filtered drive signal and thereby to obtain the gate drive signal. a PWM-signal output unit that is configured to generate a drive signal for driving the switching element with PWM; an on-speed reducing unit (13, 13a) that is configured to, when the switching element is changed from off to on, generate a gate drive signal obtained by reducing a time change rate of the drive signal immediately after a start and immediately before completion of an operation transition time of the switching element from off to on compared with a time change rate of the drive signal during the operation transition time excluding a time immediately after the start and immediately before the completion; and an off-speed improving unit that is configured to, when the switching element is changed from on to off, draw charge from the switching element with a charge drawing capability higher than that at a time when the switching element is changed from off to on, characterized in that the on-speed reducing unit (13, 13a) includes: a CR low-pass filter (R, C) configured to generate a low-pass filtered drive signal from the drive signal; a waveform generating unit configured to generate a signal having a predetermined waveform; a comparator configured to compare the signal generated by the waveform generating unit and the low-pass filtered drive signal; and a CR low-pass filter (R, C) configured to generate a low-pass filtered drive signal from the drive signal; a waveform generating unit configured to generate a signal having a predetermined waveform; a comparator configured to compare the signal generated by the waveform generating unit and the low-pass filtered drive signal; and an AND circuit configured to AND a signal output from the comparator and the low-pass filtered drive signal and thereby to obtain the gate drive signal.