Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs VGK: how they differ
EWJ and VGK hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and Vanguard European Stock Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and VGK hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in VGK |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. 4.08% | ASML Holding NV 3.63% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 3.45% | HSBC Holdings PLC 2.05% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. 3.37% | AstraZeneca PLC 1.84% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited 2.90% | Novartis AG 1.84% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. 2.86% | Nestle SA 1.69% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. 2.58% | Siemens AG 1.41% |
| Sony Group Corporation 2.56% | Banco Santander SA 1.16% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION 2.41% | Allianz SE 1.13% |
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 | VGK Vanguard European Stock Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | European Stock |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +16.5% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | −1.0 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.06% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Holdings | 179 | 1228 |
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%.
VGK in plain words
VGK is an index equity fund tracking the European Stock. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% 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 1228 positions, with the top ten at 18.1%. It sat 3.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or VGK?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and VGK returned +16.5%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or VGK?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and VGK charges 0.06%, so VGK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and VGK overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 0% of VGK 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.
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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 VGK, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-VGK Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources