Tadashi Kaneko

Who is Tadashi Kaneko?

Tadashi Kaneko was an officer, ace fighter pilot, and leader in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific theater of World War II. Before his death in combat, Kaneko was officially credited with destroying eight enemy aircraft.

In 1937, Kaneko participated in the Second Sino-Japanese war as a shōtai leader in the aircraft carrier Ryūjō's fighter group. Later he fought over China as a member of the 15th and 12th Air Groups.

In September 1941, Kaneko became a fighter division commander on the carrier Shōkaku with which he participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Indian Ocean Raid. In May 1942, Kaneko became the leader of the 6th Air Group, slated to be the airbase garrison unit on Midway Atoll. Taking passage aboard the carrier Akagi, Kaneko participated in the Battle of Midway and claimed to have shot down two American torpedo aircraft.

Surviving the sinking of Akagi at Midway, Kaneko was assigned as the fighter group leader on the carrier Hiyō. After that carrier suffered operational damage, Kaneko's fighter group was transferred to Rabaul and participated in aerial attacks against the Cactus Air Force on Guadalcanal. On 14 November 1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Kaneko was killed in action while covering the passage of a transport convoy delivering army troops to Guadalcanal.