RUBBER-Japanese futures see biggest fall in nearly three weeks on weaker Shanghai market, crude

* Japanese rubber futures saw its biggest slide since Apr. 6 on Monday, tracking an almost 3% decline in the Shanghai market, while softer crude prices dragged sentiment further.
* The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for September delivery was down 4.0 yen, or 1.9%, at 206.0 yen ($1.54) per kg as of 0200 GMT, dipping for a second consecutive session.
* The rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange (SHFE) for September delivery was down 320 yuan, or 2.7%, at 11,660 yuan ($1,690.57) per tonne.
* Rubber inventories in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 0.9 % from a week earlier, the exchange said on Friday.
* Japan's benchmark Nikkei average opened up 0.24%.
* China stocks slumped on Friday, logging the biggest daily decline since last November's rally driven by optimism over the easing of COVID restrictions, as uneven Chinese economic recovery dented investor sentiment.
* U.S. Federal Reserve officials remain set to raise interest rates at their May 2-3 meeting but key data between now and then may shape how they weight the risks facing the U.S. economy and whether they decide to pause further increases.
* Oil prices slipped on Monday as concerns about rising interest rates, the global economy and the outlook for fuel demand outweighed support from the prospect of tighter supplies on OPEC+ supply cuts.
* Lower oil prices incentivise manufacturers to shift towards synthetic rubber derived from oil, weighing on the natural rubber market.
* Asian shares started cautiously on Monday in a week packed with economic data and central bank meetings, along with earnings from the tech giants that have kept the S&P 500 afloat so far this year.
* The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform for May delivery last traded at 135.0 U.S. cents per kg, down 1.2%.
($1 = 134.1400 yen) ($1 = 6.8971 yuan) (Reporting by Carman Chew; Editing by Sonia Cheema)