Do Japanese people take godzilla seriously?

Question:

Do they understand why Americans find the movies funny?

Answer:

Godzilla does have very serious undertones. And that's about the dangers of nuclear war. Godzilla was supposed to be a result of the bombs in WWII.
The first movie was made in 1954. All special effects were very limited at that time. Bust they got the point across
The first movie ie interesting because the white guy ( Raymond Burr ) wasn't in the original version. He was put in only for the American release..
Homer has the right idea.