Source: The Asahi Shimbun
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200603270106.html
On March 27, 2006 The Asahi Shimbun reported, "According to [Noriyuki] Ueda, [a cultural anthropologist and associate professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology] there are about 80,000 temples around the nation. But a shortage of priest successors to keep them in business has become an increasingly serious problem. A survey by one Buddhist sect found that 35 percent of its temples faced the possibility of being unable to secure a priest to operate Buddhist services. Against this backdrop, Komyoji temple in Niigata city is attracting the attention of the Buddhist community by inviting the public to apply for the job of chief priest. Candidate prerequisites include being 25 to 30 years of age, a university degree, some work experience, an eagerness to study Buddhism and a sincere interest in listening to people. A monthly stipend of 120,000 yen will be paid during the training period."