EWJ alternatives and similar ETFs

EWJ alternatives at a glance#

Each fund below can stand in for EWJ, closest first. “Related” funds make a different bet that often moves the same way.

Fees come from each fund company, checked on the dates shown on each fund’s page.

How EWJ and its alternatives did over the same dates#

Each row measures the alternative and EWJ on the days both traded, so neither gets a head start. Correlation shows how closely their daily moves matched over about the last five years. A value of 1 means they always moved together.

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

Each EWJ alternative, compared#

SCHF: Schwab International Equity ETF#

SCHF is a looser match. It holds stocks in developed countries outside the US, such as Japan, the UK and Europe, while EWJ holds Japanese stocks.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $49 for EWJ. It held 1,480 stocks, against 167 for EWJ.

From November 2009 to October 2026, SCHF returned about 7.5% a year and EWJ returned about 7.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.86).

Read the SCHF fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VEA: Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF#

VEA is a looser match. It holds stocks in developed countries outside the US, such as Japan, the UK and Europe, while EWJ holds Japanese stocks.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $49 for EWJ. It held 3,903 stocks, against 167 for EWJ.

From July 2007 to October 2026, VEA returned about 5.1% a year and EWJ returned about 4.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.86).

Read the VEA fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IEFA: iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF#

IEFA is a looser match. It holds stocks in developed countries outside the US, such as Japan, the UK and Europe, while EWJ holds Japanese stocks.

It charges 0.07% a year, about $7 on $10,000, against $49 for EWJ. It held 2,626 stocks, against 167 for EWJ.

From October 2012 to October 2026, IEFA returned about 8.3% a year and EWJ returned about 9.1% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.85).

Read the IEFA fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

EFA: iShares MSCI EAFE ETF#

EFA is a looser match. It holds stocks in developed countries outside the US, such as Japan, the UK and Europe, while EWJ holds Japanese stocks.

It charges 0.32% a year, about $32 on $10,000, against $49 for EWJ. It held 657 stocks, against 167 for EWJ.

From August 2001 to October 2026, EFA returned about 6.4% a year and EWJ returned about 5.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.85).

Read the EFA fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

EWJ versions from other fund companies#

Some people keep all their funds with one company. Here is the closest fund to EWJ from each other company on this page:

• Schwab: SCHF, Schwab International Equity ETF (related fund, 0.03% a year)
• Vanguard: VEA, Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (related fund, 0.03% a year)

Most brokers let you buy any ETF, whoever runs it. Mutual fund versions, such as a fund company’s index mutual fund, are not listed here.

How to choose between EWJ and its alternatives#

• What it tracks. A fund on the same index holds the same stocks. A different index can mean different weights, more or fewer holdings, or a different mix.
• The fee. The difference is often small. On $10,000, EWJ costs about $49 a year. SCHF costs about $3.
• History. An older fund has been through more bad markets, so you can see how far it fell.
• What you already own. Two funds that move together add little variety. A fund with a low correlation behaves more on its own.

Swapping EWJ to harvest a tax loss#

Some investors sell a fund at a loss to lower their taxes, then buy a similar fund so they stay invested. This is called tax-loss harvesting.

The IRS wash sale rule blocks the loss if you buy a “substantially identical” security within 30 days before or after the sale. The IRS has not said exactly when two funds count. Funds on the same index are more likely to. Funds on a different index, such as SCHF, VEA or IEFA, are less likely to.

Ask a tax professional before you rely on this. Read the IRS rules in Publication 550.

Test EWJ and its alternatives in a backtest#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add EWJ and SCHF, and see how each would have done on the same dates, or how a mix of both would have done.

The details#

Alternatives are picked from facts, not from returns. First come funds that track the same index as EWJ. Then come funds that hold the same kind of stocks through another index. Last come funds from a close category that make a different bet. Leveraged funds are only listed as alternatives to other leveraged funds.

Within each group, the funds whose daily returns moved most like EWJ over about the last five years come first. Returns and worst drops use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. Each alternative is measured with EWJ only on days both traded. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.