Mitsui Real Estate, one of the company's big shareholders, opposed the theme park. Selling the new land for housing would bring money in faster, and it pushed Oriental Land to drop the plan.
Takahashi, by then the managing director and the man really running the company, would not drop it.
In April 1979, Oriental Land signed an exclusive license with Walt Disney Productions. Disney put up no money. Oriental Land would build the park, own it, run it and pay Disney royalties.
The reported terms were 10 percent of admissions and rides and 5 percent of food, drinks and merchandise. Disney also sold Oriental Land about $100 million worth of rides and technology.