What if you invested in Japan (EWJ) in 2015?
EWJ · Index · Data through 2026-06-01
If you invested $1,000 in Japan (EWJ) in 2015
The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $4,521(+352.1%)
The S&P 500 returned $4,521 on the same $1,000. S&P 500 outperformed by $2,008.
Try a different start date
Pick any month and year to see what Japan (EWJ) would be worth.
Compare Japan (EWJ) to another stock
See how Japan (EWJ) stacks up since 2015, head to head.
What if Japan (EWJ) keeps this up?
Project forward at Japan (EWJ)'s 8.3% historical growth rate. See 5-30 year scenarios.
Growth of $1,000
Japan (EWJ) vs. S&P 500 vs. US Dollar, 2015 to present
Year-by-Year Returns
$1,000 invested in Japan (EWJ) starting January 2015
| Year | Price | Value | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $36.91 | $1,000 | - |
| 2016 | $37.40 | $1,013 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | $41.93 | $1,136 | +12.1% |
| 2018 | $52.87 | $1,432 | +26.1% |
| 2019 | $46.30 | $1,254 | -12.4% |
| 2020 | $50.30 | $1,363 | +8.6% |
| 2021 | $59.05 | $1,600 | +17.4% |
| 2022 | $57.65 | $1,562 | -2.4% |
| 2023 | $53.41 | $1,447 | -7.3% |
| 2024 | $61.54 | $1,667 | +15.2% |
| 2025 | $64.96 | $1,760 | +5.6% |
| 2026 | $85.26 | $2,310 | +31.2% |
What this return means
$1,000 invested in Japan (EWJ) in 2015 is worth $2,513 today. That is a +151.3% gain, a little over 2.5x your money, measured to 2026-06-01.
That is about 8.3% a year compounded, broadly in line with long-run stock market averages. Because this is a broad S&P 500 fund, it is the benchmark here rather than something measured against it.
The path was not smooth. The best single year was 2018 at +26.1%, and the worst was 2019 at -12.4%. These figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, trading fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.
None of this is a recommendation. It is a record of what already happened, and past performance does not guarantee future results.
What if you invested $100 a month instead?
Most people do not drop a lump sum in on day one. They add a fixed amount every month. Putting $100 into Japan (EWJ) at the close of every month from January 2015 through June 2026 means 138 buys and $13,800 contributed over about 11.5 years.
$100/month, dollar-cost averaged
$24,970
+80.9% on $13,800 in
Same $13,800, all in at the start
$34,685
+151.3% on $13,800 in
Going all in at the start beat spreading the buys out by $9,715. That is the usual result when a stock trends up: each monthly buy pays a higher price than the last, so the average cost climbs. Averaging in also meant an average buy price of $51.27 per share across the whole stretch, so the monthly buyer never had to time a single low. Neither number counts dividends, taxes, or trading costs.
Illustrative fixed $100/month example, not a recommendation. Figures are computed from EWJ split-adjusted monthly closes through June 2026. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Japan (EWJ) at different times
See how the start year changes the outcome
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Numbers worth sharing
Occasional data drops when something interesting surfaces. No schedule, just signal.
For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All calculations are based on split-adjusted closing prices from Yahoo Finance and do not account for dividends, taxes, or trading fees. See our methodology and full disclaimer.