Kaneko was born in Saitama on September 12, 1959. After graduating from high school, he joined Furukawa Electric in 1978. Initially, he did play in many games. The club won the 1982 JSL Cup. In 1985, he played as a regular player and the club won the 1985–86 Japan Soccer League and 1986 JSL Cup. He was also selected for the Best Eleven in 1985–86 and in 1986–87. The club won the 1986 Asian Club Championship, which was the first time the Asian championships was won by a Japanese club. He retired in 1992.