TOKYO: The Tokyo metropolitan government Monday started displaying an artwork possibly by anonymous street artist Banksy at Hinode Pier in the Japanese capital's Minato Ward.

The painting of what appears to be a mouse holding an umbrella was found on a tide gate in the ward. Locals asked that the artwork be used as a tourist attraction.

The exhibition will "contribute to livening up the local area," the metropolitan government said. But it also stressed that "graffiti on public property is not acceptable."

The metropolitan government removed the work from the site and placed it in a glass case after the then head of the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo said in December last year that "the work's style is similar to Banksy's."

Visitors can see the work on a wall of a waiting room at Hinode Pier, near the original site of the graffiti, for free.

When the metropolitan government displayed the work at its office for 14 days to early May, over 35,000 people made visits to view it.

"The authenticity of the work is still unclear," the metropolitan government said while noting that the mouse-like animal looks like one often seen in Banksy's works.

Tokyo University of The Arts Prof. Yoshitaka Mori, knowledgeable about Banksy's works, said he hopes "the culture of saving and enjoying art on the streets spreads in Japan."

He questioned the display of the work at a different site, saying that street artists select locations with meaning.

JIJI Press