A Japanese expert in art and cultural tourism will keynote a symposium on Hawaii’s potential as a center for the Asian art market at the Honolulu Academy of Arts on Saturday. The symposium — "Asia’s Hot Art Spots: What Is Hawaii’s Role?" — will feature Fumio Nanjo, director of the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. The museum’s mission is to promote "art and life in the 21st century," according "equal importance" to the "world’s diverse cultures."

Nanjo will discuss the booming popularity of art throughout Asia, from Japan, China, India and Indonesia to Jordan, Iraq and Iran. He will also share observations about the March 11 tsunami in Japan and how it affected museums there. He will be joined by local experts Jaimey Hamilton of the University of Hawaii art department; Jay Jensen, curator of The Contemporary Museum; and Thomas Klobe, director emeritus of the UH Art Gallery. Academy of Arts Director Stephan Jost will moderate.

The free symposium is from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Doris Duke Theatre. The academy is at 900 S. Beretania St., and entry to the theater is on Kinau Street.

Call 532-8700.