Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs VPU: how they differ
EWJ and VPU hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and Vanguard Utilities Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and VPU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in VPU |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. 4.08% | NextEra Energy Inc 11.84% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 3.45% | Southern Co/The 6.70% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. 3.37% | Duke Energy Corp 6.31% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited 2.90% | Constellation Energy Corp 5.86% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. 2.86% | American Electric Power Co Inc 4.47% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. 2.58% | Sempra 3.85% |
| Sony Group Corporation 2.56% | Dominion Energy Inc 3.78% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION 2.41% | Vistra Corp 3.59% |
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 | VPU Vanguard Utilities Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Utilities |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +2.1% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | −15.4 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.09% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 90.1% |
| Holdings | 179 | 66 |
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%.
VPU in plain words
VPU is an index equity fund tracking the Utilities. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.1% 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, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 66 positions, with the top ten at 52.7%. It sat 9.8% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or VPU?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and VPU returned +2.1%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or VPU?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and VPU charges 0.09%, so VPU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and VPU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 90% of VPU 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 VPU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-VPU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources