Maybe Alan Grant meant the phrase was meaningless in the context of it having no actual bearing on Japanese culture.
The phrase still makes sense from a British perspective, as long as you are aware of how some Brit's perceive the rest of the world. (eg: Alf Garnett saying them nips are fiendishly clever when it comes to making cheap cameras, etc.)
A racist cliche that us Brits have about the Japanese is that they are "slitty-eyed". I remember from somewhere (maybe a comic strip?) a stereotypical Japanese character referring to westerners as "round-eyed devils". I don't know if that's something the Japanese actually say, but it still makes sense to me because I'm aware some Brits label the Japs as slitty-eyed.
"Football Crazy" is a classic strip, though. Even if it depicts Brazil still knocking England out of the World Cup well into the future. No prizes for guessing who Grant supports.
Bah! Bloomin' Jocks!
