KDDI Apologizes After Subsidiary's Fire Scorches 530,000 Hectares in Mongolia

A massive wildfire that began on October 8 in Mongolia's Numrug Strictly Protected Area burned approximately 530,000 hectares, with roughly 470,000 hectares (79.8 percent of the reserve) destroyed over eight days. The blaze, attributed to a vehicle operated by employees of Mobicom—KDDI's Mongolian subsidiary—prompted the Tokyo-based telecommunications company to issue a formal apology on October 22, acknowledging the "grave environmental impact" on Mongolia's natural environment.

According to KDDI and Mobicom, a convoy of five vehicles carrying 13 people, including Japanese executives and Mobicom CEO Yasuhiro Ochi, entered the protected core zone on October 8 with official permission to conduct 4G network communications tests in Dornod Province. One vehicle caught fire, triggering the wildfire. KDDI stated the group had notified border security in advance and followed a designated route. The fire was brought under control on October 12 and fully extinguished on October 16 after coordinated efforts by Mongolian emergency teams and Chinese border personnel, who mobilized over 3,400 personnel along the bilateral frontier as flames advanced toward the China-Mongolia border.

However, Mongolian media and government officials have questioned the stated purpose of the visit. Some reports allege the group may have entered the reserve for hunting or fishing, particularly for the endangered Amur sturgeon (Amur char), though such claims remain unconfirmed by formal investigation. Mobicom has consistently maintained the visit was solely for network testing. KDDI has declined further comment pending Mongolia's official investigation but pledged to undertake a comprehensive review of field-testing procedures and safety protocols in collaboration with Mobicom to prevent future incidents.

Mongoliian authorities have transferred the case to national police for investigation and pledged to pursue legal accountability and seek compensation for both economic costs and long-term ecological damage. A special working group is conducting field assessments to quantify environmental harm and develop restoration plans. Public frustration has mounted across Mongolian and Japanese social media, with netizens criticizing the delayed corporate response as "too little, too late." Mongolian users have called for legal punishment and full ecosystem restoration, while some Japanese commentators have highlighted perceived double standards in media coverage of foreign versus domestic environmental incidents.