Launch Roundup
Subversive ETFs listed S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 funds that exclude Elon Musk's companies
iShares MSCI Japan ETF
$97.320.00 (0.00%)
- 0.49%
- $23.7B
- +29.6%
- 3.66%
- 4.6M sh
- $97.58
- low $78.84high $99.98
The ETF.net EWJ Grade
A
Score 72 out of 100
- 6 of 18
Score 72 of 100 falls in the A band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.B56 out of 100Rank 8 of 18Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 14Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C42 out of 100Rank 13 of 18Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A98 out of 100Rank 1 of 18Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C51 out of 100Rank 11 of 18Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A90 out of 100Rank 1 of 18
Our read on EWJ
AThe 1996 original. iShares' Japan fund was the default way to own Tokyo's biggest names before most of its rivals existed, and it still trades like it: roughly 170 large and mid-cap stocks, yen exposure unhedged.
The fund seeks to track an index of Japanese equities, providing targeted exposure to companies in Japan.
Why people hold it
- Launched in 1996 and still one of the most heavily traded funds in the Japan category, which generally means tight spreads and room to trade size.
- Tracks the MSCI Japan Index closely, holding roughly 170 large and mid-cap Japanese companies.
- A multi-billion-dollar iShares fund: the kind of scale and sponsorship that keeps a product well supported.
Worth knowing
- Cheaper Japan beta exists. FLJP charges 0.09% and BBJP 0.19% against this fund's 0.49%. The extra fee buys the liquidity and the long record.
- No currency hedge here, so yen moves against the dollar flow straight into the return, up or down. Hedged Japan funds such as FLJH take the other approach.
- One country, roughly 170 names, and cash comes back only once or twice a year rather than quarterly.
EWJ Holdings
- Stocks
- 170
- 31%
- 8306.T
Geography
- Japan100.00%
Developed 100% · Emerging 0%
EWJ Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
EWJ$12,959
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | EWJ |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +21.2% |
| 1 month | −1.3% |
| 3 months | +2.9% |
| 1 year | +29.6% |
| 3 years | +20.8% |
| 5 years | +10.1% |
| 10 years | +9.2% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | EWJ |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +21.2% | |
| 2025 | +25.9% | |
| 2024 | +7.0% | |
| 2023 | +20.3% | |
| 2022 | −17.7% | |
| 2021 | +1.2% | |
| 2020 | +15.4% |
EWJ in the news
EWJ Dividends
- 3.66%
- $3.56
- $0.50 per share
- Annual
Distribution history
EWJ Risk
- 12.2%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.25
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −29.6%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.83
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
EWJ Cost
0.49%
EWJ0.49%
- The middle half of Japan funds
- Median 0.54%
7 of the 18 Japan funds charge less.
Other funds in Japan
- AJPXNiShares JPX-Nikkei 400 ETFExpense ratio 0.48%1 year return +29.2%
- ASCJiShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +28.2%
- BGSJYGoldman Sachs ActiveBeta Japan Equity ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return +30.7%
- BDFJWisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend FundExpense ratio 0.58%1 year return +32.4%
- BDBJPXtrackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETFExpense ratio 0.45%1 year return +39.8%