What is the expense ratio of EWJ vs EWU?

EWJ has an expense ratio of 0.49%, while EWU has an expense ratio of 0.50%.

EWJ vs EWU

iShares MSCI Japan ETF vs iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

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

EWU

iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to uk equity securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.50%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.54%. Launched in 1996, the fund has a 30-year track record.

AUM: $3.2B ER: 0.50% Yield: 3.54% Since: Mar 12, 1996

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.49% vs 0.50%), so fees are not a differentiator here. EWJ has edged ahead over the past year (26.8% vs 23.8%). Income investors may prefer EWJ for its higher yield (4.2% vs 3.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric	EWJ	EWU
Expense Ratio	0.49%	0.50%
Dividend Yield	4.2%	3.5%
Fund Family	N/A	N/A
Category	Japan Equity	UK Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

EWJ +23.6%

EWU +44.4%

Performance Comparison

Period	EWJ	EWU	Difference
1 Month	-4.12%	-3.68%	-0.44%
3 Months	+6.33%	+4.25%	+2.08%
6 Months	+5.75%	+8.70%	-2.95%
YTD	+6.33%	+4.25%	+2.08%
1 Year	+26.80%	+23.80%	+3.00%
3 Years	+46.68%	+41.61%	+5.07%
5 Years	+23.58%	+44.39%	-20.81%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	EWJ Fees	EWU Fees	You Save
$10.000	10 years	$960	$979	$19
$10.000	20 years	$4.052	$4.131	$79
$10.000	30 years	$12.832	$13.077	$245
$50.000	10 years	$4.799	$4.895	$96
$50.000	30 years	$64.162	$65.385	$1.223
$100.000	30 years	$128.324	$130.770	$2.447

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	EWJ	EWU
Annualized Volatility	18.3%	16.6%
Max Drawdown	-34.6%	-26.2%
Sharpe Ratio	0.08	0.26

Dividend Comparison

Metric	EWJ	EWU
Annual Dividend (per share)	$3.65	$1.64
Dividend Yield	4.22%	3.54%
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

Name	Weight
Toyota Motor Corporation!tyo/7203	4.27%
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/8306	4.05%
Hitachi, Ltd.!tyo/6501	2.86%
Sony Group Corporation!tyo/6758	2.61%
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/8316	2.54%
Mitsubishi Corporation!tyo/8058	2.46%
Tokyo Electron Limited!tyo/8035	2.33%
Advantest Corporation!tyo/6857	2.23%
Mitsui & Co., Ltd.!tyo/8031	2.14%
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/8411	2.10%

EWU Top Holdings

Name	Weight
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN	9.67%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA	8.98%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL	8.65%
Unilever PLC!lon/ULVR	4.26%
British American Tobacco p.l.c.!lon/BATS	4.13%
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc!lon/RR	4.06%
BP p.l.c.!lon/BP	4.01%
GSK plc!lon/GSK	3.64%
Rio Tinto Group!lon/RIO	3.22%
BAE Systems plc!lon/BA	2.70%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose EWJ if...

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

Choose EWJ if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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