Mumbai, Aug. 28 -- The Japanese Yen strengthened against the US Dollar, with the pair easing to around 159.54 in early Asian trading on Friday, as firmer-than-expected Tokyo inflation reinforced expectations of a Bank of Japan rate hike as early as its September 17-18 policy meeting. This, in turn, provides some support to the JPY and acts as a headwind for the pair. Tokyo headline CPI rose to 1.9% YoY in August from 1.8% in July, while core CPI accelerated to 1.8%, above the 1.7% market forecast, and inflation excluding food and energy climbed to 2.0%, highlighting persistent price pressures. The stronger inflation readings have provided fresh support to the Yen and weighed on USD/JPY, while investors now await Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's Ja...