Japan's core consumer ?inflation ?likely held steady in ?August as the impact of higher oil prices ?from the Middle East conflict was offset by government subsidies, 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 1.8% in August from a year earlier, according to a poll of 16 economists, the same as July ?and remaining below the BOJ's 2% target.