Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs VBK: how they differ
EWJ and VBK hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and VBK hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in VBK |
|---|---|
| MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP 4.70% | Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 1.27% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR 3.41% | REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 1.07% |
| SOFTBANK GROUP 3.04% | Astera Labs Inc 1.05% |
| SUMITOMO MITSUI FINANCIAL GROUP 3.01% | Natera Inc 1.04% |
| ADVANTEST 2.98% | Twilio Inc 0.88% |
| TOKYO ELECTRON 2.82% | Casey's General Stores Inc 0.83% |
| HITACHI 2.75% | Carpenter Technology Corp 0.82% |
| KIOXIA HOLDINGS 2.68% | Curtiss-Wright Corp 0.79% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| EWJ iShares MSCI Japan ETF | VBK Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Small-Cap Growth |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +13.8% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | −3.7 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.05% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 10.2% |
| Holdings | 171 | 545 |
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%.
VBK in plain words
VBK is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap Growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 10% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 545 positions, with the top ten at 9.3%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Aug 17, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or VBK?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and VBK returned +13.8%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or VBK?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and VBK charges 0.05%, so VBK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and VBK overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 10% of VBK 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 VBK, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewj-vs-vbk Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources