The optical transmitter includes a light source; a signal processor; an optical modulator that modulates output light from the light source in accordance with a transmitting signal subjected to digital signal processing in the signal processor and outputs the modulated light as a light signal to a transmission path; and a control circuit that controls a carrier-wave frequency of the light signal output from the optical modulator, the signal processor including a mapping circuit that maps the transmitting signal to electric-field information according to a modulating scheme, and a phase rotating circuit that provides a phase rotation having a constant cycle to an electric-field phase of the electric-field information to which the mapping circuit maps the transmitting signal, the control circuit controlling the cycle of the phase rotation that the phase rotating circuit provides and thereby controlling the carrier-wave frequency of the light signal output from the optical modulator.