Japanese Telecom Executive Who Set Mongolian Nature Reserve Ablaze: “An Apology Isn’t Enough”

1. Overview

On October 8, 2026, a vehicle carrying executives of Mobicom, the Mongolian subsidiary of Japanese telecom company KDDI, caught fire in a nature reserve in Khalkhgol soum, Dornod Province, Mongolia’s easternmost province. The fire spread across the grassland. The reserve’s name is rendered as Nomrog, Numrug, and other variants by different outlets. Mongolia’s state-run Montsame News Agency reported that more than 520,000 hectares burned and about 80% of the reserve was affected. Yonhap News TV described the affected area as more than twice the size of Tokyo, while the Korea Times and Seoul Shinmun reported it was around eight times the size of Seoul.

The flames threatened the Chinese border, and China also deployed a large number of personnel to respond. The incident expanded beyond a domestic Mongolian issue into a controversy between China and Japan after Chinese state media called for an apology from Japan. KDDI acknowledged that the fire occurred in connection with Mobicom’s activities and apologized. However, questions remain over whether the executives’ real reason for entering the restricted-access reserve was to test telecommunications equipment or to fish for an endangered species. Mongolia’s deputy prime minister responded that “this is not something that can be forgiven with an apology alone,” and the Mongolian government said it planned to seek compensation from those involved.

2. Fire and firefighting efforts

According to Seoul Shinmun, citing Mongolian media outlets including Eguur, the fire began in a Nissan Patrol carrying Mobicom executives, including Japanese nationals. Dry grass had reportedly accumulated in large quantities underneath the vehicle as it drove through the reserve and caught fire. The Korea Times reported that dry grass was suspected to have become tangled around the vehicle’s exhaust pipe. It also said that October is Mongolia’s dry season, when the risk of fires is high, and that the flames were believed to have spread rapidly across the grassland. Mongolia’s emergency management agency reportedly received a report at 11:55 a.m. that day. The site was 485 km from the provincial center and 125 km from the soum center.

The reserve’s terrain, with numerous wetlands and hills, makes it difficult for vehicles to travel through. Firefighters therefore had to approach on horseback or on foot, and drones were also deployed in some areas. Personnel from Mongolia’s emergency management agency, border protection agency, reserve management authorities, and local communities were joined by teams from six provinces and districts, but the fire remained uncontrolled after three days. According to Seoul Shinmun, Mongolian authorities did not contain the main blaze until the 12th, and the fire was not fully extinguished until around 6:34 a.m. on the 16th. Seoul Shinmun reported that it had burned for eight days before being put out.

As the fire spread, brown bears, roe deer, wild boars, otters, and other animals in the reserve moved toward the border, and the Chinese side reportedly opened passageways to let wildlife cross. Seoul Shinmun reported that the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region activated its highest-level emergency response, set up firebreaks, and even deployed cloud-seeding aircraft and rockets. NHK, citing a Montsame report, said that on Wednesday the 21st, the Mongolian government instructed the relevant authorities to determine the cause and circumstances of the fire and develop measures to prevent a recurrence.

3. Circumstances of Mobicom executives’ visit and suspicions

According to the Korea Times and Seoul Shinmun, Mobicom executives had come to the area on October 6–7 with a member of Mongolia’s parliament to attend an event at a border checkpoint shortly before the fire. The event marked Mobicom’s installation, as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts, of a 4G mobile network at a border outpost and a high-speed fiber-optic cable at the checkpoint. Seoul Shinmun pointed out that the issue was that they did not head straight back after the event. The Korea Times, citing TV Asahi, reported that three executives, including Japanese CEO Yasuhiro Ochi, visited the reserve on October 8. Eguur reported that the group was split across five vehicles and included, in addition to the three executives, two local residents and the younger brother of a former member of parliament.

Questions also arose over whether they had permission to enter. According to Seoul Shinmun, the group received permission to enter the border area from Colonel A, a deputy commander of a local border guard unit. However, a source cited by Eguur claimed that the group had received only the colonel’s permission, without formal authorization from the Border Protection General Authority, and had behaved in an intimidating manner toward a forest ranger who tried to stop them. Seoul Shinmun also noted that it was unclear whether permission to enter the border area covered entry into the reserve itself. According to the Korea Times, a local journalist reporting from the reserve on the day of the fire told TV Asahi, “It took us a year and a half to get permission to enter.”

The suspicions were compounded by claims that the group had entered the reserve to fish for Amur taimen (taimen, a large freshwater fish in the salmon family). According to the Korea Times, the species is endangered and known among fishing enthusiasts as the “fish of dreams.” A YouTube video posted by YTN introduced the large fire as being connected to illegal activity by executives of a major Japanese-affiliated local company.

4. KDDI’s apology and the Mongolian government’s response

KDDI is Mobicom’s largest shareholder, holding 98.85% of its shares. According to MoneyToday, citing the South China Morning Post, KDDI said in a statement on the 20th that a fire broke out in a Mobicom vehicle during an on-site inspection. It added, “We take very seriously the fact that this has had a significant impact on Mongolia’s natural environment,” and apologized to the Mongolian people, customers, and others concerned. The same report said that Mobicom CEO Ochi also stated on the 14th, “We deeply regret the damage caused to the environment and sincerely apologize to the people of Mongolia.” NHK reported that KDDI did not disclose details of the fire, while Yonhap News TV reported that KDDI did not comment on the fishing allegations. KDDI also said it would support its subsidiary in cooperating with the Mongolian authorities’ investigation.

Criticism that the apology came too late first emerged in Mongolia. In an article dated the 15th, Mongolian outlet iToim noted that Mobicom had not expressed regret or apologized by that point, drawing public backlash. It also criticized the company for deleting a statement posted on its website and then reposting a revised version.

The Mongolian government has taken a much tougher stance. According to the Korea Times, when CEO Ochi bowed his head and said, “I deeply apologize for the damage to the natural environment,” Deputy Prime Minister Nomtoibayar replied, “This is not something that can be forgiven with an apology alone.” The Mongolian government said it would investigate the scale of the fire and seek compensation from those involved. A local journalist said, “The anger of the Mongolian people has reached its peak.” iToim also wrote that it was watching how the costs of firefighting, environmental damage, and restoration would be calculated, and what responsibility the company’s executives and the authorities that granted permission to enter would bear.

5. Reactions in China and Japan

Chinese state media argued that KDDI should also apologize to China. According to MoneyToday, Xinhua News Agency reported that China deployed thousands of personnel along approximately 330 km of border area to conduct patrols, extend firebreaks, clear vegetation, and fight the fire. In a commentary on the 21st, the Global Times said China had deployed more than 3,400 emergency response personnel and demanded that “Japanese companies and those responsible apologize to China.” Chang’an Avenue知事, operated by the Beijing Daily, went further. Citing Mongolian media claims about fishing, it criticized the company for concealing the real purpose of the visit and asked, “If it began with lies and, even after the truth came out, the apology was selective, where is the genuine remorse?” MoneyToday also noted that these criticisms came amid heightened tensions between China and Japan over Taiwan and security issues.

There was also criticism in Japan of the media’s handling of the story. According to the Korea Times, Japanese media did not report the fire until nearly two weeks after it broke out, prompting criticism that their coverage was subdued. One user wrote on X, “It’s obvious that Japanese media made an unspoken agreement to wait until KDDI apologized before reporting this,” adding, “Nissan’s name still hasn’t come up.” Two Chinese outlets also criticized Japanese media for providing little coverage early in the incident.

6. Authenticity debate

The central questions are whether the executives entered the reserve for a legitimate telecommunications test, as KDDI says, or for illegal fishing for an endangered species, as Mongolian media have alleged, and whether they followed the formal procedure for obtaining permission to enter. So far, the fishing allegations have come from Mongolian media outlets and sources, and no official investigation findings have been reported.

6.1. In support of a legitimate business visit

KDDI says the executives went to conduct 4G telecommunications tests. According to the Korea Times, KDDI told TV Asahi that it had notified the border protection agency in advance of the visit and that the group followed a designated route that day. According to MoneyToday, KDDI also claimed that it had received official permission. Mobicom likewise explained that its staff were working in the area to connect the Khalkhgol border outpost to the 4G network, hand over fiber-optic cables at the border crossing, and assess the possibility of expanding the network in the future. The executives had indeed attended an event shortly beforehand to mark these installations, linking their visit to the area with the telecommunications infrastructure project. The fact that a unit commander granted permission to enter the border area could also be read as meaning that the group did not enter covertly, but had coordinated with a local military official. From this perspective, it is premature to draw conclusions while the fishing allegations remain limited to Mongolian media reports and claims by sources.

6.2. In support of illegal entry for fishing

Those on the other side argue that too many suspicious details overlap. First, if the purpose was telecommunications testing, it is difficult to explain why three executives in five vehicles entered the interior of a reserve with wetlands and hills that make vehicle access difficult. Eguur’s report that the group also included local residents and the younger brother of a former member of parliament has further fueled suspicions. Moreover, a source claimed that even the permission they had was not formal authorization from the Border Protection General Authority, but approval from a single colonel. There were also claims that they behaved in an intimidating manner toward a forest ranger who tried to stop them. The argument is that such incidents would not have happened if the group had followed proper procedures. The suspicion of preferential treatment grows stronger when compared with a local journalist’s statement that it took a year and a half to obtain permission to enter. Chang’an Avenue知事’s description of KDDI’s explanation as having “begun with lies” reflects a similar view. The fact that KDDI did not address the fishing allegations themselves also remains a source of doubt.

A final judgment must await the results of the Mongolian authorities’ investigation. The legality of the entry permits is likewise unresolved. The Mongolian government has instructed the relevant authorities to determine the cause and circumstances of the fire.

7. Trivia

• The Amur taimen at the center of the allegations is known among fishing enthusiasts as the “fish of dreams,” according to the Korea Times.
• According to Seoul Shinmun, 56 mammal species, 263 bird species, 24 fish species, and 493 vascular plant species (including 36 rare species) are registered in the reserve.
• Korean-language reports render the reserve’s name as both “Nomrog” and “Numrug.” Mongolian-language media write it as “Нөмрөг.”