Pneumatic tire and method for manufacturing same

A pneumatic tire having a carcass extending from a tread portion to a bead core of a bead portion through a sidewall portion, a belt layer disposed in the tread portion and radially outside the carcass, and a band layer disposed radially outside the belt layer, and characterized in that

• the band layer includes a jointless ply formed by spirally winding, on the radially outside of the belt layer, a long band-like ply of one or more band cords coated with topping rubber,
• the jointless ply includes
• a first ply portion in which the band-like ply is wound from a starting end which is positioned between the tire equator and one end in the tire axial direction of the belt layer, to a position on the one end in the tire axial direction of the belt layer,
• a second ply portion in which the band-like ply is wound from the position on the one end in the tire axial direction of the first ply portion, to a position on the other end in the tire axial direction of the belt layer, and
• a third ply portion in which the band-like ply is wound toward the tire equator from the position on the other end in the tire axial direction of the second ply portion, to a terminal end which is between the other end in the tire axial direction of the second ply and the tire equator, and
• the band-like ply is continued from the starting end of the first ply portion to the terminal end of the third ply portion without interruption.