Mongolia Considers Seeking Compensation from Japanese Firm over Steppe Fire
Japanese media reported on October 25 that, after executives of a subsidiary of Japanese telecom operator KDDI caused a large steppe fire during activities in a Mongolian nature reserve, the Mongolian government said it would identify the responsible parties through investigation and consider seeking compensation.
According to Japanese media reports, Mongolian Deputy Prime Minister Nomunbayar said in a recent interview that an apology alone from KDDI was "not enough" and that it was necessary to seek compensation from the responsible parties over the fire. Officials from Mongolia's environmental authorities said they would investigate the cause of the fire and pursue responsibility in accordance with the law.
A large steppe fire broke out on the 8th in the Numrug Nature Reserve in Mongolia's Dornod Province. According to Mongolian media reports, a group of more than 10 people from Mobicom, a Mongolian telecom operator controlled by Japanese capital, entered the reserve in 5 vehicles, including Japanese executives of the company and other Japanese personnel; dry grass was ignited while the vehicles were moving, causing the steppe fire; the open flames were extinguished on the 16th.
KDDI acknowledged on the 20th that the fire was related to the activities of Japanese executives of its subsidiary Mobicom. Facing public pressure, the company issued a public apology on its official website on the 23rd, saying it would cooperate with the investigation, but insisting that the personnel involved had committed "no illegal acts".
The publicly reported positions therefore stand side by side: Mongolia's stated consideration of a compensation claim, and KDDI's insistence that the personnel involved committed no illegal acts, with Mongolian environmental officials saying the next step is to investigate the cause of the fire and pursue responsibility in accordance with the law.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：蒙古国草原（资料图）。照片：Orgio89，CC0，经维基共享资源。 / The Mongolian steppe (file photo). Photo: Orgio89, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
