Should Japanese Government Pay For Shinto Royal Rites?

The Telegraph reports:

Prince Akishino, the younger son of Japan’s Emperor Akihito, has stirred controversy by suggesting that the state should not cover the cost of a Shinto religious ritual for his older brother’s accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne next year....

Instead, he said the cost of the Daijosai rite in November should come directly from the imperial family’s funds.....

Under the terms of the constitution, the government is not permitted to engage in religious activities and there are some, apparently including the prince, who believe that the government paying for the two-day Shinto Daijosai ritual runs contrary to those rules.