Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs IEFA: how they differ
EWJ and IEFA hold 20% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and IEFA hold 20% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | EWJ | IEFA |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. | 4.08% | 0.80% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 3.45% | 0.72% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. | 2.86% | 0.58% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION | 2.41% | 0.57% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited | 2.90% | 0.52% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. | 2.58% | 0.51% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. | 3.37% | 0.50% |
| Sony Group Corporation | 2.56% | 0.49% |
| Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. | 2.16% | 0.42% |
| Mitsubishi Corporation | 1.96% | 0.41% |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. | 1.46% | 0.38% |
| MITSUI & CO., LTD. | 1.58% | 0.37% |
| Only in EWJ | Only in IEFA |
|---|---|
| ASML Holding N.V. 2.23% | |
| HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.25% | |
| ASTRAZENECA PLC 1.17% | |
| Novartis AG 1.11% | |
| Nestle S.A. 1.03% | |
| SHELL PLC 1.03% | |
| Siemens Aktiengesellschaft 0.90% | |
| COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA 0.84% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
| EWJ iShares MSCI Japan ETF | IEFA iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Core MSCI EAFE |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +18.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | +0.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.07% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Holdings | 179 | 2632 |
EWJ in plain words
EWJ is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI Japan. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +26.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 179 positions, with the top ten at 28.4%.
IEFA in plain words
IEFA is an index equity fund tracking the Core MSCI EAFE. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2632 positions, with the top ten at 11.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or IEFA?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and IEFA returned +18.0%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or IEFA?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and IEFA charges 0.07%, so IEFA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and IEFA overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 0% of IEFA by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 20% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, EWJ against IEFA, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-IEFA Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources