Taiwan's art collection on loan to the Tokyo National Museum for an exhibit opened as planned after the latter had revised its promotional materials to include the word "National" to refer to Taiwan's National Palace Museum.

Tokyo National Museum, the exhibition's main sponsor, had immediately rectified the promo materials last minute, according to Taipei museum director Feng Ming Chu on Monday.

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She said however, that it was unlikely that Taiwan first lady Chow Mei Ching, would make it to the opening on Monday as she had already postponed her trip after the name issue had broken out.

She added that she has accepted Tokyo museum executive director Masami Zeniya's apology for having "upset" Taiwan over the name issue and "causing trouble."

"I believe this will suffice to restore the positive sentiment toward Japan among the Taiwan people. The most important thing is trust, sincerity and mutual respect," Feng said.

The China Post, a Taiwanese publication, noted that the omission of the word "National" in the Taipei museum's name meant that the museum was not a government-run museum, which is a sensitive topic for Taiwan, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Currently, Taiwan is recognized by 22 after countries after it split with China in 1949. To date, China still considers Taiwan as part of its territory pending reunification.

And while Japan officially recognizes China, it also maintains close ties with Taiwan.

The National Palace Museum announced last year the loan of 231 treasured artifacts to Japan, after exhibitions in Austria, France, Germany and the United States. Dubbed as one of the world's finest Chinese collections, the artifacts were reportedly brought to Taiwan by Nationalist leader Chiang Kai Shek when he escaped to Taiwan after losing to the communists in the Chinese civil war in 1949, the AFP has learned.

For years, the National Palace Museum was disinclined to lend the collection to Japan out of fear that China would try to reclaim them until recently when Japan had passed a law to prevent such in 2011.

TagsTokyo National Museum, Museum Row, Taipei, Tokyo, artifacts, Masami Zeniya, Feng Ming Chu