Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs EWY: how they differ
EWJ and EWY hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWY returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and iShares MSCI South Korea ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and EWY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | EWJ | EWY |
|---|---|---|
| BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY | 0.05% | 0.05% |
| Only in EWJ | Only in EWY |
|---|---|
| MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP 4.70% | SK HYNIX 24.02% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR 3.41% | SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS LTD 22.13% |
| SOFTBANK GROUP 3.04% | SK SQUARE 3.01% |
| SUMITOMO MITSUI FINANCIAL GROUP 3.01% | KRW CASH 2.49% |
| ADVANTEST 2.98% | SAMSUNG ELECTRO MECHANICS LTD 2.46% |
| TOKYO ELECTRON 2.82% | KB FINANCIAL GROUP 1.92% |
| HITACHI 2.75% | HYUNDAI MOTOR 1.60% |
| KIOXIA HOLDINGS 2.68% | SHINHAN FINANCIAL GROUP 1.57% |
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 Sep 10, 2026.
| EWJ iShares MSCI Japan ETF | EWY iShares MSCI South Korea ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | MSCI South Korea |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +147.9% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | +130.4 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.59% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Holdings | 171 | 80 |
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 Sep 10, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 171 positions, with the top ten at 30.4%.
EWY in plain words
EWY is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI South Korea. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +147.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.59% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 80 positions, with the top ten at 61.9%. It sat 13.9% below its high of Jun 18, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or EWY?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and EWY returned +147.9%, so EWY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or EWY?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and EWY charges 0.59%, so EWJ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and EWY overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 0% of EWY 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 EWY, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewj-vs-ewy Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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