Fund Evaluator:
Matthews Japan Instl (MIJFX)
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Best Performing in Japan Stock Over the Last Year
| 40.2% | GMO-Usonian Japan Value Creation I (GMIIX) |
| 37.3% | Fidelity Advisor Japan Z (FIQLX) |
| 37.2% | Fidelity Japan (FJPNX) |
| 34.3% | Hennessy Japan Investor (HJPNX) |
| 33.4% | T. Rowe Price Japan Z (TRZJX) |
Fund Details
Matthews Japan Instl Overview
Matthews Japan Instl (MIJFX) is an actively managed International Equity Japan Stock fund. Matthews Asia Funds launched the fund in 2010.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets, which include borrowings for investment purposes, in the common and preferred stocks of companies located in Japan. A company or other issuer is considered to be "located" in a country or a region, and a security or instrument is deemed to be a Japanese security or instrument, if it has substantial ties to Japan.
About Matthews Japan Instl (MIJFX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.40 years: Shuntaro Takeuchi (2019), Donghoon Han (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: MSCI Japan NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Matthews Japan Instl has 59 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 33.6% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Matthews Japan Instl is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. Matthews Japan Instl has 99.6% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 99.6% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Matthews Japan Instl has 0.4% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $442 million in total assets, which is above the $218 million average for the Japan Stock category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
MIJFX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Matthews Japan Instl expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Japan Stock category. Matthews Japan Instl has an expense ratio of 1.10%, which is 15% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Matthews Japan Instl has a portfolio turnover rate of 106%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 40% for the Japan Stock category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Matthews Japan Instl returned -2.1%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Japan Stock category had an average return of -0.2%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Matthews Japan Instl has a trailing yield of 1.74%, which is below the 3.22% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Matthews Japan Instl Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 15.3%, 3.6 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 30.0% over the past year (grade of D), 18.9% over the past three years (grade of C) and 8.1% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 8.4% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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MIJFX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| MIJFX Return (NAV) | -2.1% | 3.3% | 30.0% | 18.9% | 8.1% | 8.4% |
| MIJFX Grade | D | D | D | C | D | D |
| +/- Category | -1.9% | -2.9% | -3.5% | -0.1% | -0.1% | -0.8% |
| Japan Stock Avg | -0.2% | 6.2% | 33.5% | 18.9% | 8.3% | 9.2% |
| MIJFX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 1.3% |
MIJFX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| MIJFX Return (NAV) | 15.3% | 22.9% | 16.5% | 18.1% | -27.8% | -1.8% | 29.9% | 26.1% | -20.1% | 33.2% | 0.5% |
| MIJFX Grade | F | F | A | B | F | C | A | A | F | B | F |
| +/- Category | -3.6% | -5.2% | 7.7% | 2.3% | -6.3% | 0.3% | 7.0% | 2.8% | -6.1% | -0.1% | -5.3% |
| Japan Stock Avg | 18.9% | 28.1% | 8.8% | 15.8% | -21.5% | -2.1% | 22.9% | 23.3% | -13.9% | 33.3% | 5.8% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 15.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.30 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.05 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | D (77% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.00 |
| R-Squared: | 76% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.7% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $731 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 442 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 107% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Takeuchi Shuntaro (2019), Han Donghoon (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 59 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 33.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 99.6% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 99.6% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.4% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Matthews Asia Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-789-2742 |
| Website: | www.matthewsasia.com/ |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | October 29, 2010 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $100,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.10% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.96% |
| Share Class: | Matthews Japan Investor |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 100 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
