Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures ended up 1.3 percent on Thursday, tracking gains in Shanghai futures as Chinese trade data topped forecasts and imports recorded their first rise in nearly two years.
China's imports unexpectedly rose 1.5 percent in August from a year earlier, boosted by coal and other commodities, suggesting domestic demand may be picking up and putting the world's second-largest economy on a more balanced footing.
China's natural and synthetic rubber imports rose 17.5 percent from a year ago to 470,000 tonnes, Chinese trade data showed on Thursday.
"There are signs that Chinese domestic demand is strengthening," said a source with a Tokyo-based broker.
The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for February delivery finished 2 yen higher at 158.1 yen ($1.56) per kg.
The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange for January delivery rose 210 yuan to finish at 12,775 yuan ($1,917) per tonne. The Shanghai benchmark has regained 6.4 percent from a three-month low hit on Aug. 31.
The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for October delivery last traded at 131.2 U.S. cents per kg, up 0.5 cent.
