Taipei’s National Palace Museum says it will evaluate the Tokyo National Museum’s efforts to correct wording on its posters before it decides whether it will cancel an exhibit in Tokyo. That was the word in a press release on Sunday.
The National Palace Museum was set to hold an opening on Monday for its first display of precious artifacts in Japan. But a snafu involving the official name of the Taipei-based museum, has put the exhibition in jeopardy.
While the wording is correct on the brochures, some of the posters are missing the word “national” in the name “National Palace Museum.” That’s particularly sensitive, because Japan and many other countries view Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China, instead of being ruled separately as the Republic of China.
Officials in Taiwan, as high up as President Ma Ying-jeou, have called on the Tokyo National Museum to correct the mistake or risk a cancellation of the exhibition.
First Lady Chou Mei-ching has already postponed her plans to travel to Japan for the opening ceremony.
President Ma said the name “National Palace Museum” has been used for the past 20 years when artifacts have gone on tour in the United States, France, Germany, and Austria. Therefore, he said, it is unacceptable for Japan not to use the museum’s proper name as stipulated in the contract.
The National Palace Museum says that it has been working with the Tokyo National Museum to find a solution ever since the early hours of Thursday morning. It says that the Tokyo National Museum has shown a willingness to fix the problem, and has been working to recall the incorrect posters and to change them.