TOKYO: Japanese netizens have questioned and criticised their government's belated response to a massive grassland fire that broke out in Mongolia earlier this month, allegedly in connection with activities by a Japanese telecom firm's subsidiary.
The blaze erupted on Oct. 8 in the core zone of the Numrug Strictly Protected Area in Dornod Province, eastern Mongolia, where unauthorised entry is prohibited, particularly during the fire-prone autumn season.
By the time Mongolian emergency teams fully extinguished the fire on Oct. 16 after eight days of round-the-clock efforts, it had scorched about 530,000 hectares of land, according to preliminary figures from Mongolia's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Some 470,000 hectares of that lie within the Numrug reserve, accounting for 79.8 per cent of its total area.
Initial investigations suggest the fire may have been sparked by a vehicle convoy operated by Mobicom, the Mongolian subsidiary of Japanese telecom giant KDDI. On Oct. 20, KDDI acknowledged that the fire was linked to Mobicom's activities and that Japanese executive Yasuhiro Ochi was present at the time.
The disaster has drawn widespread anger and criticism among Mongolian and Japanese social media users, and Mongolian authorities have vowed to identify those responsible and seek compensation.
However, it was not until Monday (Oct 26), more than two weeks after the fire broke out, that the Japanese government responded for the first time, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara saying the government takes the matter seriously and will maintain close communication with Mongolia and cooperate in efforts to restore the damaged area.
"Only now?! The government should've said it two weeks ago. Where were they back then?" one Japanese netizen wrote in the comments under a news post on X about Kihara's remarks. Another criticised the government's inaction: "Up until today, both the government and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi completely ignored it."
Many other netizens expressed anger and heartbreak over the fire's large-scale damage to local ecosystems and biodiversity, calling for a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible.
"The grassland has been burned to a wasteland. Who knows how long it will take to recover. Poor animals..." one Japanese social media user wrote.
Others stressed corporate responsibility. "Complying with local environmental regulations and nature conservation rules is the basic responsibility of Japan-linked companies," one user wrote. "The natural environment cannot recover overnight just through apologies or compensation payments."
Questions also persisted about the convoy's purpose in entering the strictly protected reserve and whether it had obtained proper approval.
Meanwhile, not only the government but also Japan's mainstream media were slow to report, initially giving the fire little coverage and only stepping it up after public discussion and outrage gained traction on social media.
Some Japanese netizens pointed to an apparent double standard, noting that Japanese public discourse routinely plays up cases of foreigners behaving badly and damaging Japan's environment, yet fell largely silent when a Japan-linked company caused large-scale ecological harm abroad.
Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osor Uchral said on Monday that the damage caused by the fire is not simply a matter of land being burned but a serious loss of Mongolia's pristine natural environment, rare wildlife and plant species, and natural heritage that must be preserved for future generations.
"No one should be allowed to escape accountability for the damage. The investigation must establish who authorized entry into the protected area, for what purpose, who was responsible for ensuring fire safety, and what measures were taken after the fire broke out. Any issues related to Mobicom's operations must also be investigated in accordance with the law and based on evidence," he stressed. - Xinhua
