Explainer | Royalty in Asia: all you need to know about the six countries with monarchic rule

Monarchic rule was once the most common form of government across much of Asia, but today only a handful of royal families remain

Reading Time:4 minutes

Crowns, jewels and regalia have long been associated with royalty the world over. Photo: AP

Published: 11:01am, 5 Mar 2019Updated: 11:02am, 29 Nov 2020

Six countries in East and Southeast Asia currently have monarchs as their heads of state, although the royals’ political power and relevance varies widely across the region.

Until the 20th century, monarchic rule was the most common form of government in much of Asia but after a wave of revolutions and the process of decolonisation, only a handful of royal families remain.

Some monarchs have gained renewed prominence in recent years, such as Thailand’s late King Bhumibol, a revered figure who became a symbol of national unity amid political upheavals during his exceptionally long reign.

Japan lays claim to the world’s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, which can trace its lineage back at least 1,500 years. During the Allied occupation of the country at the end of the second world war, constitutional reforms were imposed that stripped the emperor of his powers. The role is now entirely representative and ceremonial in nature.

Akihito, the current emperor, plans to abdicate the throne on April 30 – making him the first emperor to do so in more than two centuries. He will immediately be succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Naruhito.

Despite being little more than a figurehead with no political power, Emperor Akihito has remained a popular figure among many Japanese during his three decades on the Chrysanthemum Throne, with his strong pacifist views and embracing of a more modern role as symbol of the state. Previous emperors, including his father Hirohito, were treated as semi-divine.

Cambodia is home to one of the world’s few elective monarchies in which the ruler is selected by a council formed of the country’s political and religious representatives. Since 1993, each new monarch has been elected for life from among the members of Cambodia’s two royal houses who are at least 30 years old.