Several days later, "Hiyō" experienced a mechanical failure and its air group was transferred to a land base at Buin through Rabaul. The group operated from Buin and Lieutenant Kaneko led almost daily missions against the Cactus Air Force. During one of the raids on 11 November, he claimed shooting down three enemy Wildcat fighters. On 1 November, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. On 14 November, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, he and his squadron flew a Combat Air Patrol over the convoy of cargo ships that was delivering Imperial Japanese Army troops and supplies to Guadalcanal. While attacking the enemy dive bombers that were about to bomb the ships, he was killed by one of the rear gunners. In return, he and his group managed to shoot down three dive bombers and badly damaged two more.