The Japanese Imperial family is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world, dating back to the sixth century BC. However, its central role in Japan has not shielded the family from controversy in recent years. Through personal scandals, and vagaries of the hereditary system, even to their own biology, it's been a rocky time. But what is left if every tradition is changeable?
Bhutan's governing party pledged recently to follow the policies of the absolute monarchy it is replacing, after it won a landslide in the country's first parliamentary elections. This remote, beautiful country truly is in the throes of a noble experiment. What makes this experiment unique is that this move towards democracy has been initiated by the ruling monarch himself.
