October 2024
Yumiko Takano, Representative Director, Chairperson and CEO

I will persevere with dedication to authenticity and uncompromising belief and carry out our mission of constantly inspiring new dreams as a unique company able to create moving experiences.

Over the past year, I have been working with a strong belief in “creating delight for society with a dedication to authenticity.”
This belief is not only my own as Chairperson, but something that has been cultivated through the OLC Group’s relationship of trust with The Walt Disney Company spanning over 40 years. In the heart of each employee is a strong sense of mission and pride in their determination to delight guests by providing them with something of incomparable excellence that cannot be rivalled by others. For this reason, I see our employees as the people who best understand the Group, but also as its toughest reviewers. We cannot present something to the world unless our employees rate it as being truly good.
Even now, I remember the words spoken to us by Masatomo Takahashi, who was President when I joined the Company: “Your job is to create authenticity.” He repeatedly drummed into us the message that this is a company that values truly high quality, complete dedication to authenticity, and bringing delight to society. It is because the aspiration of these historical leaders for authenticity and strong, uncompromising belief has been passed down the generations that the Group continues to be a unique company capable of creating moving experiences today.

The OLC Group has established its goal for 2030 as “Bringing more ‘Happiness’ to you and the community,” and is working towards making this goal a reality.

I believe that happiness refers to a moment or state in which one feels love.

We are all affected by various forms of love that derive from high-quality stories as we have grown into adults. The Theme Parks are built from stories based on our love for family, friends, nature, and our hometowns. When people visit the Theme Parks, they encounter something that evokes a story, and a forgotten emotion is revived. Then, a form of love emerges within them. This experience is the same not only for guests, but also for cast members and other employees. It happens throughout the Theme Parks in a continuous cycle.

When I think of a “happiness cycle,” I think of people finding that after returning home from the Theme Parks, a kindness towards others naturally blossoms in their lives, inspiring them to take action. The ripple effect of this eventually stimulates interest in wider society overall, for example in initiatives for environmental issues.

It is the creation of a sense of connection through the ability to communicate stories in this way that is really our purpose as a company; and I am certain that it will be a powerful force ensuring that our business continues to be supported in the future.

I believe that the path to increasing the OLC Group’s brand value lies in the pursuit of sustainability management.
The Group’s business is in the realization of a desire to create something wonderful, something unique, and something of value to bring delight to everyone in society. This concept is in accord with our ESG materiality, the central axis of sustainability management. I have personally been involved from the stage of identifying our ESG materiality, and through these initiatives I have come to see the importance of how we present the value of our existence in society.
In particular, for the Group, where the power of people is a fundamental aspect of our business, I recognize that one of our ESG materiality issues, “employee happiness,” is an important factor that underpins all our business activities. It is because each individual employee feels a sense of job satisfaction and joy that we are able to communicate that feeling to our guests—it spreads out like a ripple. This is the real driving force behind the Group’s value creation. We will continue working to be a company that maintains high levels of employee job satisfaction and working comfort, as well as a company that is needed by society.
I believe that the important thing with regard to ESG materiality is to continuously engage in it over an extremely long time frame. For example, with regard to the issues we have identified in the environmental field, “measures to address climate change and natural disasters” and “recycling-oriented society,” we will continue to address these seriously going forward in order to remain in harmony with society as a company that operates outdoor Theme Parks.

On June 6, 2024, we opened Fantasy Springs, a new Themed Port in Tokyo DisneySea that is our largest development since the opening of the Park.
Fantasy Springs was a massive project, which I worked on as a leader. The project took approximately 10 years including the concept planning period. For several years during the pandemic there were discussions about the viability of continuing the project, but we pressed through with the belief that we could absolutely complete it and make our employees proud. 
With the completion of the project, the scaffolding was removed, and we were able to view the entire area for the first time. I still remember the indescribable sense of wonder upon seeing the absolutely amazing world.
Needless to say, this is not the end. We now face the huge challenge of seeing how we can make maximum use of the physical assets to develop our business. Guided by the creed of “consistently adopting the guests’ perspective, pushing the limits, and aiming for excellence,” we will strive to give guests the energy to embrace new challenges in life. 
As a company, I would like us to continue creating a sense of expectation that keeps people looking to see what we will do next. In this respect, I am delighted that we have been able to announce our entry into the cruise business just one month after the opening of Fantasy Springs.
We have always explored new business opportunities, and with this plan to develop family entertainment cruises in the distinctive style of the OLC Group as a third pillar of business after the Theme Park and Hotel businesses, we aim to offer new ways to enjoy leisure to everyone around the world. To do this, it is of course essential that we harness the power of people. By ensuring that each employee can fully realize their strengths and individuality, I would like us to maximize our output in terms of the comprehensive capabilities of the whole Group, and also to become a company with abundant capabilities.
In the world today, new entertainments come and go every day, and society’s expectations and requirements will continue to rise. At the same time, we must also increase the value that we provide, refining it by meeting the expectations of society. 
The mission of a leader is to constantly describe a new dream that acts as a compass for employees. As a leader, I want to create a gate to a new era. As Walt Disney himself said, “Disneyland will never be completed,” and our business likewise has no end and will continue to grow constantly.
I would ask all of our shareholders and  investors to watch over the Group’s growth from a long-term perspective.
I also ask for your further understanding and support.