Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs VBK: how they differ
EWJ and VBK hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and VBK hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in VBK |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. 4.08% | Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 1.27% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 3.45% | REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 1.07% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. 3.37% | Astera Labs Inc 1.05% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited 2.90% | Natera Inc 1.04% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. 2.86% | Twilio Inc 0.88% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. 2.58% | Casey's General Stores Inc 0.83% |
| Sony Group Corporation 2.56% | Carpenter Technology Corp 0.82% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION 2.41% | Curtiss-Wright Corp 0.79% |
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 | VBK Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Small-Cap Growth |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +13.8% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | −3.7 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.05% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 10.2% |
| Holdings | 179 | 545 |
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%.
VBK in plain words
VBK is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap Growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 10% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 545 positions, with the top ten at 9.3%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Aug 17, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or VBK?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and VBK returned +13.8%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or VBK?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and VBK charges 0.05%, so VBK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and VBK overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 10% of VBK 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 VBK, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-VBK Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources