Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DXJ vs EWJ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DXJ returned +33.6% to EWJ's +18.1%; 59% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $7.1bn on Jun 30, 2026 for WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund, and $23.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI Japan ETF.
Pair scorecard
DXJ costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 15.5 points.
| Measure | DXJ | EWJ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +33.6% | +18.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index | MSCI Japan Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.48% | 0.49% |
| Net assets, DXJ as of Jun 30, 2026 and EWJ as of Oct 28, 2026 | $7.1bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 59% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 28.9% | 29.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 23, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,061 weekly returnsDXJ returned more: +520.0% to +156.4%. EWJ swung slightly less: 18.3% to 20.3%. DXJ fell slightly less at its worst: −47.7% to −51.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DXJ | EWJ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +520.0% | +156.4% | DXJ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.4% | +4.7% | DXJ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +249.3% | +81.8% | DXJ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 20.3% | 18.3% | EWJ (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.5% | 13.2% | EWJ (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −47.7% | −51.5% | DXJ (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.46 | 0.25 | DXJ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.64 | 0.35 | DXJ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.20 | 0.09 | DXJ | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,061 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DXJ and EWJ hold 59% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
59% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DXJ and EWJ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
No client brief for this pair: the two funds' holdings are dated 119 days apart.
DXJ
DXJ tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +33.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.48% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 426 positions, with the top ten at 28.9%.
EWJ
EWJ tracks the MSCI Japan. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 169 positions, with the top ten at 29.5%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DXJ or EWJ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DXJ returned +33.6% and EWJ +18.1%.
- Which is cheaper, DXJ or EWJ?
- DXJ is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, DXJ against EWJ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dxj-vs-ewj
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DXJ against EWJ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dxj-vs-ewj
[DXJ against EWJ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dxj-vs-ewj)
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