Updates closing prices, adds analyst quote and details

SINGAPORE, July 18 (Reuters) -

• Japanese rubber futures fell on Thursday, weighed down by the prospect of mounting trade tensions between the U.S. and China, while a stronger yen also added pressure.

• The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for December delivery JRUc6, 0#2JRU: closed down 5.6 yen, or 1.73%, at 317.2 yen ($2.03) per kg.

• The September rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) SNRv1 gained 90 yuan, or 0.62%, to finish at 163.4 yuan ($22.52) per metric ton.

• Natural rubber futures are expected to be "slightly bearish", taking cue from wider Asian speculative market sentiment, which is weighed down by concerns over Sino-U.S. trade policy following November's election, said Jom Jacob, chief analyst at Indian analysis firm What Next Rubber.

• Presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would impose new tariffs targeting China between 60% to 100%, alongside a 10% tariff on imports from other countries.

• The World Trade Organization said on Wednesday it was unable to get a clear picture of China's financial support for key industrial sectors, including electric vehicles, due to an "overall lack of transparency".

• Several Western countries criticised China's industrial policies, with Washington accusing Beijing of "predatory" industrial practices.

• The yen JPY=EBS scaled a six-week high of 155.37 per dollar on Thursday, while the dollar nursed broad losses as markets prepared for U.S. rate cuts in a few months. USD/

• A stronger currency makes yen-denominated assets less affordable to overseas buyers. FRX/

• The yen's strength, and a sharp drop in chip stocks amid prospects of escalating Sino-U.S. trade tensions, took Japan's Nikkei .N225 down more than 2%. .T

• Speculators awaited the outcome of China's third plenum, a key economic leadership meeting scheduled to end on Thursday.

• The front-month August rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform STFc1 last traded at 163.4 U.S. cents per kg, up 1%.

($1 = 156.1100 yen)

($1 = 7.2542 yuan)

Reporting by Gabrielle Ng; Editing by Varun H K and Mrigank Dhaniwala

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