Mark Schreiber delivers an interesting tale

By Mark Schreiber

Guest Contributor

TOKYO — In the mid-1980s I knew a Japanese-to-German translator named Jurgen
Wuster. He also practiced Aikido and tried to demonstrate his prowess by
twisting my wrist. But I bent my knees at the last second, lowering my
center of gravity, and he wound up dislocating his thumb.

Anyway, some time later he phoned my office and said he was trying to
find out who was performing “psycho-terror” on him, and when he found out
who, he said, he was going to hurt that person badly. Obviously insane.

I thought things over and decided to phone the West German embassy. The
operator put me through to a counselor, and I introduced myself and said
“Are you aware that there’s a German national here who looks like he
might be a threat to others, or to himself?”

The counselor said to me, “Ah, would that be Mr. Wuster?” It seems I wasn’t the only person who had reported him! Anyway he explained to me, “We already tried talking
to the Japanese police, but they said if he doesn’t commit a crime, they can’t do anything.”

About eight or nine months passed and at New Year’s I got a nengajo from
Wuster’s ex-wife, a Japanese, who informed me he had committed suicide,
and apologizing for all the troubles he had caused people.

True story.