A Japanese intelligence official accused of handing over research information to Russia received cash in return, the government said Thursday. The man at the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office was fired for "receiving inappropriate money from foreign government officials on several occasions since January last year," the Cabinet Office said in a statement. Officials declined to release further details. But Jiji Press, quoting unnamed sources, said the 52-year-old man had received several million yen (tens of thousands of dollars) over a 10-year period. The special treatment included wining and dining by a series of Russian embassy officials, Jiji Press said. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda voiced outrage when the case came to light Wednesday, saying: "Honestly, the magnitude of this problem is ridiculous." The official, who worked for the section that gathers and analyses information for the central government, had allegedly met Russian officials at Tokyo restaurants and handed over reports on Japan`s political development. Japan late Wednesday asked the Russian embassy to cooperate with a police investigation, the foreign ministry said. The case comes as Japan investigates the leaking of sensitive data about the US-developed high-tech Aegis combat system. That probe was launched after a petty naval officer with a Chinese wife was found with confidential information on his computer.