Japan's core consumer inflation likely held steady in May at roughly the previous month's pace due to end of government fuel subsidies, leaving inflation below the Bank of Japan's 2% target for a fourth month, a Reuters poll showed on Friday. Here are a few details: • The nationwide core consumer price index (CPI), which includes energy items but excludes fresh food prices, is expected to have risen 1.4% in May from a year earlier, according to a poll of 16 economists, unchanged from April when it marked the slowest increase since March 2022.