This is one of the lesser-known stories about Steve Jobs, and although Apple denies it, there is enough evidence to believe…

Steve Jobs’ strange personality has left us with countless anecdotes over the years, from firing the top management at Starbucks to the Spanish colonial mansion in California he tried to tear down. All of these stories are incredible, but few are as unique as when he was arrested at a Japanese airport for trying to load ninja weapons onto his private jet. What seemed absurd at the time makes sense today when we look at Jobs’ fascination with Japanese culture and its particular worldview.

Just an average day in the life of Steve Jobs… or not?

It was the summer of 2010, and Steve Jobs was spending his vacation in Japan. As usual, he spent some of his time exploring Japanese culture, a passion that led him to collect everything from traditional ceramics to ninja stars. However, no one expected that the latter would cause him serious trouble at Kansai International Airport.

Bloomberg and the Japanese SPA! magazine also reported that airport security encountered a surprise during the routine inspection of Jobs’ packages. Among his belongings were several ninja stars, traditional Japanese weapons that are apparently prohibited in carry-on luggage.

Jobs’s reaction to the situation was – unsurprisingly – completely in character. According to witnesses, Apple’s CEO did not hesitate to argue that the security rules did not apply to him. His logic was simple and, according to him, irrefutable:

“Why would I hijack my own private jet?”

This reaction would not surprise anyone who knew Jobs. It was characteristic of him that he believed that traditional norms did not apply to him. In fact, it’s this mentality that has allowed him to revolutionize entire industries throughout his career. But this time, not even Jobs’ charisma could convince the Japanese authorities.

Apple denies it, but it’s so obvious

Of course, the news spread like wildfire on the Internet. The image of Apple’s visionary CEO being arrested for wearing ninja guns was too juicy not to go viral. Apple, aware of the potential media impact, quickly released a statement attempting to defuse the bombshell:

“Steve was in Japan this summer on vacation in Kyoto, but the incident at the airport is just fiction. Steve had a great time and hopes to visit Japan again soon.”

However, the speed and tone of the response only raised further speculation – why is there such a need to proactively deny something when nothing happened?

To truly understand this story, we need to know Jobs’ deep connection to Japanese culture. He was no ordinary tourist fascinated by the exotic. Jobs incorporated Japanese elements into practically every aspect of his life.

Japanese designer Issey Miyake designed his trademark black turtleneck uniform. He was a regular at Jinshō, a sushi restaurant in Silicon Valley, where he even had his own table. He collected Japanese handicrafts with the same passion as he designed Apple products.

The story of the ninja stars perfectly demonstrates why Steve Jobs was who he was. He was a genius who lived in his own universe, where conventional rules didn’t always apply. Whether true or fiction, the incident shows that Jobs was unique.

Source: Bloomberg