Japan’s consumption of new rubber is estimated to have grown by 3.1 percent year-on-year in 2018, according to a report from the Japan Rubber Manufacturers Association (JRMA). This brings the year’s figures to 1,333,200 tons, representing a second consecutive year of growth after 2017 brought the sector’s first growth in six years. Heading into 2019, however, the JRMA expects that…