Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs VDE: how they differ
EWJ and VDE hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VDE returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and Vanguard Energy Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and VDE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in VDE |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. 4.08% | Exxon Mobil Corp 21.37% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 3.45% | Chevron Corp 14.53% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. 3.37% | ConocoPhillips 5.79% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited 2.90% | Williams Cos Inc/The 3.65% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. 2.86% | SLB Ltd 3.49% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. 2.58% | Marathon Petroleum Corp 3.29% |
| Sony Group Corporation 2.56% | Valero Energy Corp 3.19% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION 2.41% | EOG Resources Inc 3.06% |
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 May 31, 2026.
| EWJ iShares MSCI Japan ETF | VDE Vanguard Energy Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Energy |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +50.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | +33.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.09% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 81.6% |
| Holdings | 179 | 105 |
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%.
VDE in plain words
VDE is an index equity fund tracking the Energy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +50.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 82% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 105 positions, with the top ten at 64.0%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or VDE?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and VDE returned +50.6%, so VDE returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or VDE?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and VDE charges 0.09%, so VDE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and VDE overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 82% of VDE 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
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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 VDE, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-VDE Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources