Google Street View Respects Privacy of a ...Statue?

Google Japan is launching special trikes as seen in the picture above, to provide Street View of narrow alleys and places unreachable by cars.

They also proudly declared their new policy to respect privacy of residents by filming Street View footages from lower angle. They've been blurring out license plates and people's faces, and started to obscure nameplates on residences by request. But in this case, they might have overdid it a little.

Read on for details and pics.
(Japanese)Eyes of Lefteye::Obscured Street View www

This is the said statue.

Obviously obscured.

Is it accidental or intentional, blotted out by request, or is Google trying to protect the statue's privacy? Have they started censoring the street? It doesn't seem that provocative a statue, unoffending enough to be standing in an ordinary street, but how can we tell?