It is often said of his motive that 'the statue was so beautiful that he just had to touch it' but in coverage that immediately followed the incident he said words to the effect of, 'When I actually saw it, I thought 'is this it?'
この事件の動機についてよく言われるのが「弥勒菩薩像が余りに美しかったので、つい触ってしまった」というものだが、当の学生は直後の取材に対し「実物を見た時"これが本物なのか"と感じた。