Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs IJR: how they differ
EWJ and IJR hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and IJR hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in IJR |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. 4.08% | FORMFACTOR INC 0.69% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 3.45% | VIASAT INC 0.68% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. 3.37% | MOLINA HEALTHCARE INC 0.66% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited 2.90% | ARGAN INC 0.62% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. 2.86% | BRIGHTSPRING HEALTH SERVICES INC 0.61% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. 2.58% | ELEMENT SOLUTIONS INC 0.61% |
| Sony Group Corporation 2.56% | MAXLINEAR INC 0.60% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION 2.41% | KRYSTAL BIOTECH INC 0.54% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
| EWJ iShares MSCI Japan ETF | IJR iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | S&P SmallCap 600 |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +19.9% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | +2.4 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.06% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Holdings | 179 | 603 |
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%.
IJR in plain words
IJR is an index equity fund tracking the S&P SmallCap 600. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 603 positions, with the top ten at 6.0%. It sat 5.5% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or IJR?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and IJR returned +19.9%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or IJR?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and IJR charges 0.06%, so IJR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and IJR overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 0% of IJR by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
Where to next
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 IJR, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-IJR Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources