A liquid ejection apparatus having a liquid ejection head, a maintenance portion that maintains the liquid ejection head, a pressure source that applies pressure to the maintenance portion, and a valve unit that controls the pressure applied from the pressure source to the maintenance portion. The valve unit includes a valve body, a first passage defining member, a second passage defining member, a first passage, and a second passage. The first passage defining member and the second passage defining member are located at opposite sides of the valve body. The first passage is defined between the valve body and the first passage defining member. The second passage is defined between the valve body and the second passage defining member. The valve body has a first passage valve that closes the first passage when the valve body moves in the first direction and a second passage valve that closes the second passage when the valve body moves in the second direction. The first passage valve and the second passage valve are provided at opposite sides of the valve body and associated commonly with the valve body. The first passage valve is capable of selectively opening and closing a pressure line defining a portion of a passage extending between the maintenance portion and the pressure source. The second passage valve is capable of selectively opening and closing an atmospheric air passage that exposes the maintenance portion to the atmospheric air.