RUBBER-Japanese futures track Shanghai losses, weaker Nikkei

* Japanese rubber futures edged lower on Monday, tracking losses in the Shanghai market and weaker domestic equities, while a stronger yen against the U.S. dollar added pressure.
* The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for August delivery was down 1.7 yen, or 0.8%, at 223.3 yen ($1.64) per kg, as of 0212 GMT.
* The rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for May delivery was down 105 yuan, or 0.8%, at 12,500 yuan ($1,796) per tonne.
* Rubber inventories in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange dipped 0.1% from a week earlier, the exchange said on Friday.
* Japan's benchmark Nikkei share average opened down 0.48%.
* The Japanese yen strengthened 0.25% to 136.12 per dollar.
* A stronger yen reduces the value of yen-based rubber in a dollar base and normally encourages investors to sell rubber futures at OSE.
* Oil prices were flat in early trade on Monday, as Russia's plans to deepen oil supply cuts continued to support prices, while increasing global inflation risks and rising crude inventories in the United States weighed.
* The natural rubber market is helped by stronger oil prices as manufacturers are incentivised to shift away from synthetic rubber that is derived from oil, driving natural rubber prices higher.
* Asian shares slipped on Monday as markets were forced to price in ever-loftier peaks for U.S. and European interest rates, slugging bonds globally and pushing the dollar to multi-week highs.
* The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform for March delivery last traded at 135.5 U.S. cents per kg, down 1.5%.
($1 = 136.2000 yen) ($1 = 6.9604 yuan) (Reporting by Matthew Chye)