RUBBER — Japan futures climb as yen slides, Nikkei rallies

(Recasts, updates prices to market close) By Emily Ou Yong Sept 18 (Reuters) — Japanese rubber futures rose for a third straight session on Friday, supported by a weaker yen and a rally in Tokyo equities, though the contract posted a weekly decline as oil prices fell. The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for February delivery was up2.3 yen, or 0.54%, at 430.2 yen ($2.74) per kg. The contract lost 0.19% this week. The rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for January delivery fell 250 yuan, or 1.32%, to 18,670 yuan ($2,787.86) per metric ton. The most active October butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE lost 320 yuan, or 2.14%, to 14,645 yuan per metric ton. The yen sank against its major peers in Asian trading on Friday, after a widely expected rate hike by the Bank of Japan failed to halt the currency's decline. USD/ A weaker currency makes yen-denominated assets more affordable to overseas buyers. FRX/ Against that backdrop, the Nikkei surged 1.7% to 65,221.53, topping the psychological 65,000 mark for the first time in more than a week..T Thai latex and cup lump prices have been relatively strong recently, with upstream processing plants holding low invento