ROME, Nov 19 (Reuters) - The leaders of Italy, Japan and Britain have discussed a potential broadening of the GCAP jet fighter project to other countries, the office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday.

Italy, Britain and Japan agreed in December 2022 to collaborate to build an advanced front-line fighter to enter service around the middle of the next decade.

Meloni held a meeting on Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

"They agreed on the importance of the project continuing to move forward expeditiously, reaffirming their common intent to further strengthen the ongoing collaboration," the statement said.

(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte, writing by Gavin Jones)

((giuseppe.fonte@thomsonreuters.com; +390680307711;))