Updates closing prices, adds analyst quote

SINGAPORE, July 17 (Reuters) -

• Japanese rubber futures gained on Wednesday, tracking synthetic rubber prices higher.

• The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for December delivery JRUc6, 0#2JRU: closed up 4.2 yen, or 1.32%, at 322.8 yen ($2.04) per kg.

• The September rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) SNRv1 rose 110 yuan, or 0.76%, to finish at 14,520 yuan ($1,997.66) per metric ton.

• The most active September butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE SHBRv1 was up 115 yuan, or 0.79%, at 14,600 yuan ($2,008.67) per ton.

• On the SHFE, the upturn in butadiene rubber prices can attract fresh buying interests in natural rubber futures, said Jom Jacob, chief analyst at Indian analysis firm What Next Rubber.

• The IMF's significant upward revision of its China growth forecast is also a "favourable factor" poising natural rubber prices for gains, added Jacob.

• The yen JPY=EBS was last steady at 158.34 per dollar, as traders remained on alert for any intervention from Japanese authorities to prop up the currency after they had likely done so last week. USD/

• A weaker currency makes yen-denominated assets more affordable to overseas buyers. FRX/

• European Union governments exposed divided views on the merits of EU tariffs on imports of China-built electric vehicles in a non-binding but still influential vote.

• The European Commission, which oversees the bloc's trade policy, has set provisional duties of up to 37.6% on EVs imported from China and canvassed EU member views in a so-called advisory vote.

• The European Commission has signalled to Volkswagen _p.DE and BMW BMWG.DE that it may consider lowering tariffs on the two carmakers' imports of China-made EVs.

• The front-month August rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform STFc1 last traded at 162.3 U.S. cents per kg, up 0.6%.

($1 = 158.0400 yen)

($1 = 7.2685 yuan)

Reporting by Gabrielle Ng; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Rashmi Aich

For morning and afternoon prices at Thailand's state-run central rubber market, click on RUB-BKK3.
For other physical rubber prices in Thailand, click on RUB-BKK1, RUB-BKK2.
For more details on Indonesian and Malaysian prices click on RURKJK and RUQG.
* Reuters Terminal users can see cash and futures rubber prices by double clicking on the codes in the brackets:

- Tokyo rubber futures -- 0#JRU:
- Shanghai rubber futures -- 0#SNR:
- Singapore rubber futures -- 0#SRS:0#SRU:0#STF:
- Thai rubber futures -- 0#ARU:0#ASR20:
- All rubber news RUB
- Tokyo rubber report RUB/T
- Shanghai rubber report RUB-CN
- Thailand rubber report RUB/TH
- Asian rubber report RUB/AS

For Related News and other topics, double click on one of these codes: SPEED GUIDES RUBBER1, SOFTS/NEWS1