Chloroplasts are vital for photosynthesis, and their development necessitates proper expression of chloroplast genes. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying rice chloroplast gene expression have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we obtained an albino mutant of rice, white seedling and lethal 1 (wsl1), which displays significantly decreased chlorophyll contents and impaired chloroplast ultrastructure. The causal gene Oryza sativa PEP-RELATED DEVELOPMENT ARRESTED 1 (OsPRDA1) was isolated using Mutmap + and verified by gene editing and complementary assays. The expression of OsPRDA1 is induced by light, and OsPRDA1 is localized in chloroplasts. Transcription sequencing revealed that genes related to photosynthesis were differentially expressed in wsl1. The expression levels of the examined plastid-encoded RNA polymerase (PEP)-dependent chloroplast genes are downregulated due to the mutation of OsPRDA1. Moreover, OsPRDA1 interacts with OsFSD2, a member of PEP-associated proteins (PAPs). Knockout of OsFSD2 leads to the albino and seedling-lethal phenotype and downregulation of PEP-dependent chloroplast genes. Together, our results demonstrated that OsPRDA1 plays essential roles in rice chloroplast development, probably by facilitating the function of the PAP complex and chloroplast gene expression.