Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs VIG: how they differ
EWJ and VIG hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and VIG hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in VIG |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. 4.08% | Broadcom Inc 5.21% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 3.45% | Apple Inc 4.10% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. 3.37% | Microsoft Corp 3.99% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited 2.90% | JPMorgan Chase & Co 3.61% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. 2.86% | Eli Lilly & Co 3.36% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. 2.58% | Exxon Mobil Corp 2.92% |
| Sony Group Corporation 2.56% | Walmart Inc 2.62% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION 2.41% | Johnson & Johnson 2.51% |
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 | VIG Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Dividend growth |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +12.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | −5.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.04% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 95.7% |
| Holdings | 179 | 332 |
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%.
VIG in plain words
VIG is an index equity fund tracking the Dividend growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 332 positions, with the top ten at 32.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or VIG?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and VIG returned +12.4%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or VIG?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and VIG charges 0.04%, so VIG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and VIG overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 96% of VIG 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 VIG, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-VIG Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources