ETF Versus

EWJ vs EWT

iShares MSCI Japan ETF vs iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

EWJ

iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to japan equity securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.49%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.22%. Launched in 1996, the fund has a 30-year track record.

AUM: $18.0B ER: 0.49% Yield: 4.22% Since: Mar 12, 1996
EWT

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF (EWT) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to taiwan equity securities. It charges a high expense ratio of 0.59%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.93%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $7.5B ER: 0.59% Yield: 3.93% Since: Jun 20, 2000

Quick Verdict

EWJ is significantly cheaper at 0.49% vs 0.59% expense ratio, saving you approximately $191 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, EWT has significantly outperformed with a 48.8% return vs 26.8%.

Key Metrics

Metric EWJ EWT
Expense Ratio 0.49% 0.59%
Dividend Yield 4.2% 3.9%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category Japan Equity Taiwan Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 79 93 107 121 135 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
EWJ +23.6%
EWT +18.4%

Performance Comparison

Period EWJ EWT Difference
1 Month -4.12% -4.46% +0.34%
3 Months +6.33% +10.73% -4.40%
6 Months +5.75% +10.95% -5.20%
YTD +6.33% +10.73% -4.40%
1 Year +26.80% +48.80% -22.00%
3 Years +46.68% +57.28% -10.60%
5 Years +23.58% +18.41% +5.17%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period EWJ Fees EWT Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $960 $1.151 $191
$10.000 20 years $4.052 $4.837 $785
$10.000 30 years $12.832 $15.249 $2.417
$50.000 10 years $4.799 $5.754 $955
$50.000 30 years $64.162 $76.247 $12.085
$100.000 30 years $128.324 $152.494 $24.171

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric EWJ EWT
Annualized Volatility 18.3% 24.1%
Max Drawdown -34.6% -41.3%
Sharpe Ratio 0.08 0.08

Dividend Comparison

Metric EWJ EWT
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.65 $2.82
Dividend Yield 4.22% 3.93%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Semi-Annual or Annual

Top Holdings

0 of top 10 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

EWJ Top Holdings

NameWeight
Toyota Motor Corporation!tyo/72034.27%
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/83064.05%
Hitachi, Ltd.!tyo/65012.86%
Sony Group Corporation!tyo/67582.61%
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/83162.54%
Mitsubishi Corporation!tyo/80582.46%
Tokyo Electron Limited!tyo/80352.33%
Advantest Corporation!tyo/68572.23%
Mitsui & Co., Ltd.!tyo/80312.14%
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/84112.10%

EWT Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233021.22%
Delta Electronics, Inc.!tpe/23084.95%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23173.99%
MediaTek Inc.!tpe/24543.93%
ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.!tpe/37112.37%
Elite Material Co., Ltd.!tpe/23832.19%
Accton Technology Corporation!tpe/23452.13%
Unimicron Technology Corp.!tpe/30371.88%
Asia Vital Components Co., Ltd.!tpe/30171.82%
CTBC Financial Holding Co., Ltd.!tpe/28911.79%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose EWJ if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose EWT if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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