25/10/2026
In October 2026, a massive wildfire in Mongolia’s Numrug Strictly Protected Area, located in Dornod Province near the Chinese border, sparked widespread public outrage after it was linked to a convoy carrying senior executives of Mobicom Corporation, a major Mongolian telecommunications company primarily owned by Japan’s KDDI. The incident began on October 8 when dry grass became trapped beneath one of the convoy’s SUVs and ignited from the vehicle’s heat. Severe drought and strong winds reportedly caused the flames to spread rapidly across the protected grasslands. The convoy included 13 people traveling in five vehicles, among them Mobicom’s Japanese CEO, Yasuhiro Ochi. The wildfire continued for days before being contained on October 12 and fully extinguished on October 16.
The environmental damage was reported to be enormous, with more than 528,700 hectares of land burned, an area exceeding twice the size of Tokyo. Nearly 80% of the protected area was reportedly affected, raising serious concerns about the destruction of wildlife habitats and one of eastern Mongolia’s valuable natural ecosystems. The fire also threatened to spread across the border into China’s Inner Mongolia region, prompting Chinese authorities to deploy approximately 3,400 emergency personnel and firefighters to help protect the border area.
However, the disaster became even more controversial when questions emerged about why the executives had entered such a strictly protected reserve. Mobicom initially described the visit as a survey for a proposed fiber-optic infrastructure project, but local media and investigators questioned the explanation. Reports also alleged that the group had entered the restricted area for recreational hunting and fishing, potentially targeting the endangered Siberian taimen, a highly protected fish species. These allegations require confirmation through the official investigation.
Following the public backlash, Mobicom’s parent company, Japan’s KDDI, acknowledged the subsidiary’s involvement in the incident. CEO Yasuhiro Ochi publicly apologized to the people of Mongolia for the environmental damage and pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation and cover the damages for which the company is held responsible. Mongolian authorities have indicated that they will pursue legal accountability and financial compensation for the ecological destruction.
