Abstract In the low energy ring (LER) for positrons in the SuperKEKB, a vertical beam size blow-up was observed when the bunch current was approximately 1 mA. If a beam size blow-up occurs, the design luminosity cannot be achieved. Therefore, beam size blow-ups must be pre-vented. According to calculations, the bunch current threshold of the transverse mode coupling instability (TMCI) is 2 mA or more, and the observed value is 50% or smaller. Ordinary TMCI cannot explain this vertical beam size blow-up. This paper shows that the cause of the vertical beam size blow-up can be determined by analyzing factors such as beam oscillation. The study results showed that the vertical beam size blow-up in the LER was caused by a -1 mode instability.