At the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Lieutenant (jg) Kaneko was posted as a section leader (Shōtaichō) in the carrier Ryūjō's fighter group.

On 22 August, he led four Nakajima A4N fighters on patrol near Shanghai, where they encountered and engaged 18 Chinese Air Force Hawk III fighter-attack planes.

During the surprise attack, his section claimed six shot down, including that of acting 4th Pursuit Group commanding officer Captain Wang Tien-Hsiang (standing-in for the wounded Colonel Gao Zhihang); two of the Hawks which were credited to him.

[1][3] In August 1938, Lieutenant Kaneko was posted as a division leader (Buntaichō) in the 15th Air Group in Central China, where his unit mainly provided base defense and support for the ground forces.

He then served in a couple of units based in Japan, before being appointed as a fighter squadron commander of the newly commissioned carrier Shōkaku in September 1941.

On 17 October, Lieutenant Kaneko led the fighter escort for the combined Hiyō and Jun'yō strike against the Henderson Field.