Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs URTH: how they differ
EWJ and URTH hold 6% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and iShares MSCI World ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and URTH hold 6% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | EWJ | URTH |
|---|---|---|
| MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP | 4.70% | 0.28% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR | 3.41% | 0.20% |
| ADVANTEST | 2.98% | 0.18% |
| SOFTBANK GROUP | 3.04% | 0.18% |
| SUMITOMO MITSUI FINANCIAL GROUP | 3.01% | 0.18% |
| TOKYO ELECTRON | 2.82% | 0.17% |
| HITACHI | 2.75% | 0.16% |
| KIOXIA HOLDINGS | 2.68% | 0.16% |
| MIZUHO FINANCIAL GROUP | 2.40% | 0.15% |
| RECRUIT HOLDINGS LTD | 2.52% | 0.15% |
| SONY GROUP | 2.54% | 0.15% |
| KEYENCE | 1.73% | 0.11% |
| Only in EWJ | Only in URTH |
|---|---|
| DAITO TRUST CONSTRUCTION LTD 0.11% | NVIDIA 5.52% |
| HULIC 0.10% | APPLE 5.28% |
| SUNTORY BEVERAGE & FOOD LTD 0.07% | MICROSOFT 3.82% |
| ANA HOLDINGS 0.06% | AMAZON.COM INC 2.67% |
| KYOWA KIRIN LTD 0.06% | ALPHABET CLASS A 2.14% |
| CASH COLLATERAL JPY UBFUT 0.01% | BROADCOM INC 1.79% |
| ALPHABET CLASS C 1.70% | |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A 1.56% |
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 | URTH iShares MSCI World ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | MSCI World |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +17.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | −0.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.24% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 70.3% |
| Holdings | 171 | 1230 |
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%.
URTH in plain words
URTH is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI World. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.24% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 70% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1230 positions, with the top ten at 26.8%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or URTH?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and URTH returned +17.4%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or URTH?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and URTH charges 0.24%, so URTH is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and URTH overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 70% of URTH by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 6% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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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 URTH, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewj-vs-urth Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources