Female monarchs who abdicated, were contemporary with male monarchs who abdicated practically as often.
I would not regard that as real sign of perceiving to be a "regent" instead of monarch.
In most, if not all, eras of Japanese monarchy, monarchs seem to have been groomed to see themselves as servants of their family and lineage, not as monarchs "suo jure", in the sense that monarch could do whatever he/she desires.
Very often, they seem or deigned to be, relieved when being allowed to abdicate.
In that sense, almost all Japanase monarchs have seen themselves more like temporary regents than I-will-rule-until-I-die autocrats.
There have existed a number of father monarchs, who abdicated when their son reached a suitable age, something like the age of puberty.
Wouldn't they all as well need then to be regarded as more akin to regents?
I seem to recall that empresses Jingu kogo, the mythical one, did not abdicate. Her son Hondawake had to wait decades, until her death, to ascend the throne. (And, that settled an amont and set record to some matrilineal respect inherent in Japanese culture, I believe.)
Nor did abdicate empress Suiko, the first historically attested empress regnant of this dynasty.
Saimei and Shotoku died as reigning empresses.
I think the proportion of empresses regnant who deceased while incumbent, is more or less in same magnitude as the same among male monarchs.
In a heartening example of who was higher in the pecking order, the daijo tennou, Toshiko 'Go-Sakuramachi', scolded her young kinsboy, the incumbent monarch Tomohito 'Kwokaku' tenno, practically publicly over a matter.
: In any case most, if not all, previous
: reigning Empresses were really akin to
: Regents. They usually abdicated, retired or
: gave way when the closest male heir was
: deemed as having come of age.
:
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