Fosun aims to take on Disney with stake in Japan theme park

Chinese conglomerate hopes Huis Ten Bosch investment is business classroom

Huis Ten Bosch, in the southwestern Japanese city of Sasebo, successfully turned around its struggling operation, a lesson Chinese investor Fosun hopes to apply to its theme park ambitions in China.

DAISUKE HARASHIMA, YUSHO CHO and MITSUTOSHI KOUTA, Nikkei staff writers

January 4, 2019 13:53 JST

DALIAN/SHANGHAI/NAGASAKI -- Fosun Group's recent move to buy a 25% stake in Huis Ten Bosch, a Dutch-themed amusement park in southwestern Japan, is more than a financial investment. The Chinese conglomerate aims to beat Walt Disney in China.

The planned investment in Huis Ten Bosch "is aimed at building theme parks in China in the future," said a person familiar with the matter. Fosun has yet to release an official comment on the deal, including the value of the proposed stake purchase.