TOKYO, Mar. 24, 2009 (Kyodo News International) -- Oriental Land Co. said Tuesday it has named Executive Director Kyoichiro Uenishi as its new president, effective April 1, in a shift to a younger leadership to make its company's operations more relevant and attractive amid the nation's economic slump.

The operator of Tokyo Disneyland (NYSE:DCQ) (NYSE:DIS) and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks said its board of directors decided on a new executive lineup, including Uenishi's appointment.

Uenishi, 51, will officially replace Yoshiro Fukushima, 62, who will become one of the executive directors.

The incoming president previously held posts which included being in charge of administrative affairs, public relations and management strategy at the company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's First Section.

Speaking at a news conference announcing his appointment, Uenishi said, ''The Tokyo Disney Resort, which is the pillar of our company's earnings, must continue to grow under whatever circumstances.''

''At the same time, there is also a need to come up with an entirely new initiative, so I believe my mission is to strike a balance in developing both,'' he said.

The change of leadership at Oriental Land comes at a time when the company is seeing a solid performance in its earnings. Last month, the company announced an upward revision of its group sales and net profit projections for fiscal 2008 to record highs of 385.24 billion yen and 20.82 billion yen.

The company attributed the outlook to projected visitor numbers reaching a record 27.1 million during the 12-month period ending March 31 as a result of events held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the opening of Tokyo Disneyland in 1983.