A controversial art exhibition in central Japan featuring works with purported anti-Japan messages was discontinued Thursday two days after it opened following repeated threats, the local government said.

A package containing firecrackers was sent to a gallery in Nagoya where the exhibit titled "After Freedom of Expression" was being held, the city government said. An official who opened the package was unhurt, but the city decided to close the facility through the rest of the week for safety reasons.

The exhibit, including a statue of a girl symbolizing Korean women who worked in wartime Japanese military brothels, was to be held through Sunday.

Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura told reporters the package was apparently sent by a protester and that the exhibit needed to be closed to ensure the safety of local citizens.

The event's organizers said Thursday they received a threatening letter in late June demanding that the exhibit be canceled.

The works on display also included a film featuring a scene where an image of Emperor Hirohito, the grandfather of the current emperor, is burned to ashes.