SINGAPORE, April 19 (Reuters) -

• Japanese rubber futures rose on Friday, lifted by firmer oil prices, although the contract was set for a weekly decline amid higher yields in rubber-producing regions, ample stocks in top consumer China and soft demand for end-products.

• The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for September delivery JRUc6, 0#2JRU: was up 3 yen, or 0.97%, at 312.6 yen ($2.03) per kg, as of 0154 GMT.

• The contract is poised to shed about 1% this week, marking its third consecutive weekly decline.

• The rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for September delivery SNRv1 was up 40 yuan, or 0.27%, at 14,590 yuan ($2,014.78) per metric ton.

• Oil prices jumped $3 a barrel in reaction to unconfirmed reports on X that explosions had occurred in Iran, sparking concerns that Middle East oil supply could be disrupted. O/R

• Natural rubber often takes direction from oil prices as it competes for market share with synthetic rubber, which is made from crude oil.

• Better weather conditions in China's rubber-producing areas and the start of rubber harvesting overseas may cause near-term fresh rubber supply to moderately increase, China-based consultancy Longzhong said in a note on Friday, adding that high rubber inventories in China and tepid consumption of rubber's end-products are also exerting pressure on prices.

• Japan's benchmark Nikkei average .N225 fell 3.01% to 36,934.51 earlier in the session. .T

• Japan's core inflation slowed in March and an index gauging broader price trends fell below 3% for the first time in over a year, as analysts warn yen weakness could complicate the central bank's policy deliberations.

• The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform for May delivery STFc1 last traded at 161.5 U.S. cents per kg, up 0.3%.

($1 = 154.1100 yen)

($1 = 7.2415 yuan)

Reporting by Cassandra Yap; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips

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 onRUB-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