Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs VWO: how they differ
EWJ and VWO hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and VWO hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in VWO |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. 4.08% | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Lt 14.73% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 3.45% | Tencent Holdings Ltd 3.28% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. 3.37% | Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 2.57% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited 2.90% | Delta Electronics Inc 1.18% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. 2.86% | MediaTek Inc 1.07% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. 2.58% | Reliance Industries Ltd 0.90% |
| Sony Group Corporation 2.56% | HDFC Bank Ltd 0.81% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION 2.41% | Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd 0.75% |
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 | VWO Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Emerging markets |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +15.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | −1.9 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.06% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Holdings | 179 | 6355 |
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%.
VWO in plain words
VWO is an index equity fund tracking the Emerging markets. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +15.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% 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 6355 positions, with the top ten at 26.8%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or VWO?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and VWO returned +15.6%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or VWO?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and VWO charges 0.06%, so VWO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and VWO overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 0% of VWO 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 VWO, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-VWO Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources