EWJ vs DXJ Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
EWJ and DXJ sit in related but distinct corners of the ETF landscape — EWJ centers on the standard, liquid way to access Japanese equities, while DXJ focuses on Japanese equity exposure with the yen currency risk stripped out. Investors choosing between them should weigh how each fund's strategy lines up with their own goals rather than assuming they're interchangeable.
Choosing between EWJ and DXJ comes down to which specific exposure — the standard, liquid way to access Japanese equities or Japanese equity exposure with the yen currency risk stripped out — better matches the role you want this holding to play in a diversified portfolio.
DXJ holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. DXJ has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+38.34% vs +22.45% for EWJ).
- want the standard, liquid way to access Japanese equities
- prefer iShares (BlackRock)'s approach and fund lineup
- value deepest liquidity of any Japan-focused ETF
- are comfortable with unhedged yen exposure adds currency volatility
- want Japanese equity exposure with the yen currency risk stripped out
- prefer WisdomTree's approach and fund lineup
- value removes yen volatility, isolating equity-market returns
- are comfortable with currency hedging adds cost and can hurt returns if the yen strengthens
| Metric | EWJ | DXJ |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 24.9 | 27.6 |
| Latest closei | $95.43 | $59.83 |
| 1M returni | -1.54% | +1.60% |
| 3M returni | +3.83% | +2.41% |
| 6M returni | +7.31% | +9.08% |
| 1Y returni | +22.45% | +38.34% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | EWJ | DXJ |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $12.78K (+27.8%) started 2025-10-15 | $13.97K (+39.7%) started 2025-10-15 |
| 5Y ago | $17.66K (+76.6%) started 2021-10-15 | $37.7K (+277.0%) started 2021-10-15 |
| 10Y ago | $29.36K (+193.6%) started 2016-10-17 | $72.14K (+621.4%) started 2016-10-17 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | EWJ | DXJ |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.49% | 0.48% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $23.53B | $7.09B |
| Dividend yieldi | 3.66% | 0.90% |
| Trailing P/Ei | 14.95 | 4.31 |
| Betai | 0.76 | 0.45 |
| 52-week change | 22.45% | 38.34% |
| Metric | EWJ | DXJ |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +22.45% | +38.34% |
| 6M returni | +7.31% | +9.08% |
| 3M returni | +3.83% | +2.41% |
| 1M returni | -1.54% | +1.60% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 0.87 | 1.67 |
| Betai | 0.76 | 0.45 |
| Dividend yieldi | 3.66% | 0.90% |
| 5Y CAGR | +9.26% | +26.52% |
Over the past year, EWJ and DXJ have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 0.85), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | EWJ | DXJ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +22.45% | +38.34% |
| CAGRi | +22.47% | +38.37% | |
| Volatilityi | 20.79% | 17.75% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.87 | 1.67 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.29 | 2.50 | |
| Max drawdowni | 13.59% | 10.98% | |
| Current drawdowni | 3.92% | 2.39% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 2.99% | 2.06% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 4.27% | 3.06% | |
| Max daily dropi | 4.35% | 3.63% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 8.23% | 7.58% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +55.67% | +224.13% |
| CAGRi | +9.26% | +26.52% | |
| Volatilityi | 18.74% | 19.05% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.33 | 1.10 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.47 | 1.57 | |
| Max drawdowni | 29.57% | 22.19% | |
| Current drawdowni | 3.92% | 2.39% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 7.95% | 2.91% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 10.87% | 4.29% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.96% | 7.47% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 11.14% | 16.57% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +135.71% | +434.57% |
| CAGRi | +8.96% | +18.26% | |
| Volatilityi | 17.50% | 19.90% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.32 | 0.72 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.45 | 1.01 | |
| Max drawdowni | 33.14% | 39.14% | |
| Current drawdowni | 3.92% | 2.39% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 8.44% | 6.37% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 11.44% | 9.54% | |
| Max daily dropi | 9.80% | 10.47% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 15.65% | 18.39% |
| Category | EWJ | DXJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | iShares MSCI Japan ETF | WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.49% | 0.48% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $23.53B | $7.09B |
| Dividend yieldi | 3.66% | 0.90% |
- Deepest liquidity of any Japan-focused ETF
- Broad, diversified exposure across Japanese large-caps
- Long track record through multiple market cycles
- Removes yen volatility, isolating equity-market returns
- Historically has outperformed unhedged Japan funds during yen weakness
- Tilts toward export-heavy Japanese companies that benefit from a weak yen
- Unhedged yen exposure adds currency volatility
- Japan's demographic and growth headwinds are a long-term structural concern
- Concentrated in a relatively small number of mega-cap exporters
- Currency hedging adds cost and can hurt returns if the yen strengthens
- Higher expense ratio than unhedged Japan funds
- Hedging effectiveness can lag during rapid currency moves
Compare more than two at a time
This page is a fixed writeup on EWJ and DXJ. Our comparison engine is the interactive version: load up to five tickers, switch timeframes, and get the correlation, drawdown, and overlap analysis that a static page can't show.
Add three more names beside EWJ and DXJ, mixing stocks and ETFs in the same table — useful when the real question is which of a whole peer group to own.
AI score, forward P/E, analyst target upside, operating margin, and revenue growth are scored head-to-head, with a running tally of which ticker leads on how many metrics.
Volatility, Sharpe and Sortino ratios, maximum, current, and average drawdown, Ulcer Index, and worst single-day and single-week drops across every timeframe.
Pairwise daily-return correlation for every combination, so you can see whether two holdings actually diversify each other or just move together.
A scatter plot of forward P/E against return on equity, plus drawdown and 30-day rolling volatility charts, to separate what is cheap from what is merely beaten down.
For ETFs, a top-holdings comparison that exposes hidden overlap between funds. Every comparison exports to CSV for your own spreadsheet work.
Two comparisons a week are free without an account. A 14-day trial removes the limit and adds AI price forecasts, stock rankings, saved watchlists, and the intrinsic value calculator — no credit card required.
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.