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Matthews Japan Fund
MJFOX

Snapshot
  • High-conviction growth strategy seeks alpha in Japan
  • Unconstrained all-cap approach seeking Japanese companies positioned to benefit from Asia's growth
  • Invests in companies leveraged to the fast growing consumer demand across Asia, global industry leaders and entrepreneurial companies providing innovative domestic solutions

12/31/1998

Inception Date

13.27%

YTD Return

(as of 07/24/2026)

$27.31

NAV

(as of 07/24/2026)

-0.25

1 Day NAV Change

(as of 07/24/2026)

Objective

Long-term capital appreciation

Strategy

Under normal circumstances, the Matthews Japan 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. The Fund seeks to invest in companies capable of sustainable growth based on the fundamental characteristics of those companies, including balance sheet information; number of employees; size and stability of cash flow; management’s depth, adaptability and integrity; product lines; marketing strategies; corporate governance; and financial health.

Risks

Investments in Asian securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. In addition, because the fund concentrates its investments in a single-country, its share price may be more volatile, and more affected by political, economic and other events in the country in which it invests than that of funds that are not as geographically concentrated.

These and other risks associated with investing in the Fund can be found in the prospectus.

Fund Facts
Inception Date 12/31/1998
Fund Assets $751.94 million (06/30/2026)
Currency USD
Ticker MJFOX
Cusip 577-130-800
Benchmark MSCI Japan Index
Geographic Focus Japan
Fees & Expenses
Gross Expense Ratio 1.16%

Performance

  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Calendar Year
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As of 06/30/2026
Average Annual Total Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Japan Fund - MJFOX
12/31/1998
MJFOX
0.28% 15.32% 17.71% 27.11% 20.49% 8.29% 8.72% 7.03%
MSCI Japan Index
-0.31% 14.24% 15.97% 29.54% 18.90% 9.89% 10.23% 5.26%
As of 06/30/2026
Average Annual Total Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Japan Fund - MJFOX
12/31/1998
MJFOX
0.28% 15.32% 17.71% 27.11% 20.49% 8.29% 8.72% 7.03%
MSCI Japan Index
-0.31% 14.24% 15.97% 29.54% 18.90% 9.89% 10.23% 5.26%
For the years ended December 31st
Name 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Matthews Japan Fund - MJFOX
MJFOX
22.76% 16.38% 17.99% -27.85% -1.92% 29.82% 26.08% -20.18% 33.14% 0.40%
MSCI Japan Index (USD)
25.05% 8.68% 20.77% -16.31% 2.04% 14.91% 20.07% -12.58% 24.39% 2.73%

Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. All performance is in US$.

Assumes reinvestment of all dividends and/or distributions before taxes. All performance quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate with market conditions so that when redeemed, shares may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the return figures quoted. Returns would have been lower if certain of the Fund’s fees and expenses had not been waived. Performance differences between the Institutional class and the Investor class may arise due to differences in fees charged to each class.

Additional performance, attribution, liquidity, value at risk (VaR), security classification and holdings information is available on request for certain time periods.

Growth of a Hypothetical $10,000 Investment Since Inception

(as of 06/30/2026)

Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. All performance is in US$.

The performance data and graph do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on dividends, capital gain distributions or redemption of fund shares.

Ratings

  • OVERALL
  • out of 36 funds
  • 3 YEAR
  • out of 36 funds
  • 5 YEAR
  • out of 35 funds
  • 10 YEAR
  • out of 25 funds

Ratings agency calculation methodology

Portfolio Managers

Shuntaro  Takeuchi photo
Donghoon  Han photo

Portfolio Characteristics

(as of 06/30/2026)
Fund Benchmark
Number of Positions 51 168
Weighted Average Market Cap $89.1 billion $96.0 billion
Active Share 52.9 n.a.
P/E using FY1 estimates 18.0x 17.0x
P/E using FY2 estimates 15.8x 14.7x
Price/Cash Flow 15.4 13.4
Price/Book 2.5 2.0
Return On Equity 16.9 16.3
EPS Growth (3 Yr) 15.8% 15.8%

Sources: Factset Research Systems, Inc.

Risk Metrics (3 Yr Return)

(as of 06/30/2026)
1.63%
Alpha
0.99
Beta
113.46%
Upside Capture
111.70%
Downside Capture
1.01
Sharpe Ratio
0.32
Information Ratio
5.09%
Tracking Error
89.58

Fund Risk Metrics are reflective of Investor share class.

Source: FactSet Research Systems

Top 10 Holdings

(as of 06/30/2026)
Name Sector % Net Assets
Tokyo Electron, Ltd. Information Technology 6.3
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. Financials 4.7
Advantest Corp. Information Technology 3.8
Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. Industrials 3.4
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. Financials 3.3
Kioxia Holdings Corp. Information Technology 3.2
Sony Group Corp. Consumer Discretionary 3.0
Hitachi, Ltd. Industrials 3.0
Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. Materials 2.9
Panasonic Holdings Corp. Consumer Discretionary 2.9
TOTAL 36.5

Top 10 holdings may combine more than one security from the same issuer and related depositary receipts.

Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.

Portfolio Breakdown (%)

(as of 06/30/2026)
  • Sector Allocation
  • Market Cap Exposure
Sector Fund Benchmark Difference
Industrials 25.3 23.2 2.1
Information Technology 21.0 21.9 -0.9
Consumer Discretionary 18.3 14.3 4.0
Financials 17.9 17.6 0.3
Materials 4.9 4.1 0.8
Consumer Staples 3.2 3.5 -0.3
Real Estate 3.1 1.9 1.2
Communication Services 2.5 6.4 -3.9
Health Care 2.0 5.3 -3.3
Energy 0.6 0.8 -0.2
Utilities 0.0 1.0 -1.0
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 1.3 0.0 1.3

Sector data based on MSCI’s revised Global Industry Classification Standards. For more details, visit www.msci.com.

Equity market cap of issuer Fund Benchmark Difference
Mega Cap (over $25B) 70.3 80.1 -9.8
Large Cap ($10B-$25B) 14.6 16.3 -1.7
Mid Cap ($3B-$10B) 11.7 3.6 8.1
Small Cap (under $3B) 2.2 0.0 2.2
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 1.3 0.0 1.3

Source: FactSet Research Systems.

Percentage values in data are rounded to the nearest tenth of one percent, so the values may not sum to 100% due to rounding. Percentage values may be derived from different data sources and may not be consistent with other Fund literature.

Distributions

Record Date Ex, Pay and
Reinvest Date
Ordinary
Income
Short Term
Capital Gains
Long Term
Capital Gains
Total Distributions
Per Share
% of NAV Nondividend Distribution (Return of Capital)
12/16/2025 12/17/2025 $0.47182 $0.00000 $0.00000 $0.47182 1.9% N.A.
12/17/2024 12/18/2024 $0.42505 $0.00000 $0.00000 $0.42505 2.0% N.A.
12/13/2022 12/14/2022 $0.00000 $0.00000 $1.07119 $1.07119 6.5% N.A.
12/14/2021 12/15/2021 $0.23596 $0.32236 $2.18705 $2.74537 11.1% N.A.
12/15/2020 12/16/2020 $0.13240 $0.00000 $2.43277 $2.56517 10.5% N.A.

 

There is no guarantee that the Fund will pay or continue to pay distributions. 

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate with changing market conditions so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Commentary

Period ended June 30, 2026

Market Environment

  • Japan’s equity market generated robust returns for much of the quarter, supported by resilient corporate earnings and overseas inflows as global investors reallocated to Asia markets offering diversification and multiple sources of returns, including dividends and stock buybacks.
  • While Japan doesn’t have the same earnings growth outlook as South Korea and Taiwan, gains in the market were supported by similar export themes, from AI-related hardware and industrial robotics to specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals and power infrastructure.
  • Late in the quarter, there was some rotation in the market away from technology-focused segments and into cyclical areas, including industrials and manufacturing, where growth is improving, and also into consumer discretionary sectors including autos.

Contributors and Detractors

  • For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, the Matthews Japan Fund returned 15.32%, (Investor Class) and 15.35% (Institutional Class) while its benchmark, the MSCI Japan Index, returned 14.24% over the same period.
  • On a sector basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were industrials, consumer discretionary and materials due to stock selection. The top three detractors were information technology (IT) and financials due to stock selection and real estate due to an overweight allocation.
  • The largest contributors to absolute performance included Tokyo Electron, an electronics company, Panasonic Holdings Corp., a consumer electronics company, and Recruit Holdings, a digital human resources (HR) company. The top three detractors included Marubeni Corp., a global trading company, Astellas Pharma Inc., a global pharmaceutical company, and Shionogi & Co., Ltd., a health-care company.

Outlook

  • Like other technology- and export-focused markets, Japanese equities have experienced volatility over concerns around the sustainability of the global AI buildout theme, reinforcing the importance of stock selection.
  • We believe it is also important to recognize the breadth and diversity of Japan’s equity market, which offers longer-term thematic trends, including AI and technology, defense and power generation, as well as opportunities in its large domestic economy and consumer-related sectors.
  • Japan’s macro environment is also benefiting from inflationary growth for the first time in decades . The Takaichi government’s investment agenda, with a significant focus on AI and technology, could provide further demand in the economy.
  • Improvement in corporate governance also continues, sustaining increased dividends and buybacks and contributing to Japan’s appeal as a destination for total returns.

View the Fund's Top 10 holdings as of June 30, 2026. Current and future holdings are subject to change and risk.

Average Annual Total Returns - MJFOX as of 06/30/2026
1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
27.11% 20.49% 8.29% 8.72% 7.03% 12/31/1998

All performance quoted is past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate with changing market conditions so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the return figures quoted. Returns would have been lower if certain of the Fund's fees and expenses had not been waived. For the Fund's most recent month-end performance visit matthewsasia.com

Fees & Expenses
Gross Expense Ratio 1.16%

Investments in Asian securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. In addition, because the fund concentrates its investments in a single-country, its share price may be more volatile, and more affected by political, economic and other events in the country in which it invests than that of funds that are not as geographically concentrated.

 

Visit our Glossary of Terms page for definitions and additional information.

Index Definitions

The information contained herein has been derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate at the time of compilation, but no representation or warranty (express or implied) is made as to the accuracy or completeness of any of this information. Neither the funds nor the Investment Advisor accept any liability for losses either direct or consequential caused by the use of this information.

The views and opinions in the commentary were as of the report date, subject to change and may not reflect current views. They are not guarantees of performance or investment results and should not be taken as investment advice. Investment decisions reflect a variety of factors, and the managers reserve the right to change their views about individual stocks, sectors, and the markets at any time. As a result, the views expressed should not be relied upon as a forecast of the Fund's future investment intent. It should not be assumed that any investment will be profitable or will equal the performance of any securities or any sectors mentioned herein. The information does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any securities mentioned.