Japan pledges to help restore fire-hit Nomrog reserve in Mongolia

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the Japanese government takes seriously the damage from the grassland fire in Mongolia's Nomrog Strictly Protected Area in Dornod province, and pledged to help restore the affected area, Jiji Press and NTV reported.

"The Japanese government also takes the extent of the damage seriously. We'd like to express our heartfelt sympathy to the people of Mongolia," Kihara told his regular morning press conference on October 26. Noting that Mongolian authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire, he said Japan would stay in close contact with the Mongolian government and "cooperate to restore the affected areas."

According to Jiji Press, the fire broke out earlier this month while a convoy carrying Japanese executives and other officials of Mobicom, a unit of Japanese telecommunications carrier KDDI, was travelling through the protected area. NTV reported that KDDI has apologised, saying the fire occurred "in connection with the activities of a group company."

Officials have said the fire started on October 8 and burned about 80% of the Nomrog reserve in Khalkhgol soum. UBN reported that on October 26 the Minister of Justice and Home Affairs, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, other officials and Mobicom's management met and set up a working group on compensation. Two helicopters will be used to assess the extent of the damage.

Several Mongolian news outlets and users widely shared the Japanese government's statement on X.

Sources: Jiji Press (Nippon.com), NTV, UBN, LiveTV.mn