I am not well informed about Japanese Buddhism. My knowledge of Buddhism comes from having been a monk myself, ordained in the Theravada tradition.
I do know about these "priests" having wives. That means they are not monks since celibacy is one of the foremost precepts of Buddhism. Other aspects of being a "householder" also preclude Inamori from being a monk.
Based on your description it seems like the priest title is imported from other religions.
It's an imported title because it's a translation. I don't know the Japanese word. Yes, he is not a monk, and nobody has claimed that he is. I don't really understand your point in saying that his religious status is "made up" because he's not a celibate monastic.
My misunderstanding. It sounded to me like the story was trying to make him larger than life by throwing in the title of Buddhist priest. I wasn't aware of that title - I thought they were implying he is monk. That's what I was reacting to.
I have friends/acquaintances who are "Buddhist priests" in Zen traditions outside of Japan. They are semi-householder-ish, definitely not monks. However, they dedicate their lives to Buddhist service. They don't have children, but some are married or in relationships, mostly together with other "serious practitioners." They very definitely are not billionaires or CEOs -- and I am a little surprised at this story, which could definitely be clearer about what his priesthood actually involves.
Possibly interesting article by an American Zen priest:
I do know about these "priests" having wives. That means they are not monks since celibacy is one of the foremost precepts of Buddhism. Other aspects of being a "householder" also preclude Inamori from being a monk.
Based on your description it seems like the priest title is imported from other religions.