Kuniko Inoguchi, former state minister in charge of gender equality, has told the Liberal Democratic Party she will not run in the Aug. 30 election, LDP sources said Monday.

Inoguchi won her Lower House seat in 2005 when she was at the top of the LDP's list for the Tokyo proportional representation portion of the ballot. She had been handpicked by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who appointed her state minister in October 2005.

Her decision not to run again reflects criticism within the LDP toward candidates who enjoy favorable treatment by running only on the proportional representation section of the ballot.