Ahem, so here's that further elaboration I referred to earlier.

The Closed World takes place in 2014, in the Independent Japanese Federation, an alternate history version of Japan. Its history is best explained through this timeline, which begins in 1918, with the first divergence from true history...

[quote=Timeline]
August 1918: Following the death of the Tsar and his family, Lenin and other leaders of the Russian SFSR are killed by a western-power hired group of assassins. The communist government falls into in-fighting and eventually falls.

December 1918: After the fall of Soviet Russia, American supported capitalists take power and establish the Russian Federation. The new Russian Federation spends the next few years rounding up countries that declared their independence during the revolutions and manage to restore pre-revolution territories.

1921-1929: Despite its initially close nature to the United States, the two begin to grow apart and in 1929, following the Wall Street Crash, decides to cut most alliances with the other power. The Russian Isolationist Period begins.

1932: Higher-ups in the Russian Federation aid Adolf Hitler in gaining power in Germany, due to incentives of technology sharing, though they still remain guarded in regards to international interactions.

1939: The Russian Federation and Nazi Germany sign a pact, though the Russian Federation chastises Hitler for his war-mongering in that year and ready their forces in case of war. As the Germans invade other countries in Europe, Russia refuses to aid Germany.

1940: Germany invades the Russian Federation. The latter declares war on the former and its allies, ending the Russian Isolationist Period. While the Russian Federation focuses its forces on the western front, the Japanese Empire invades and occupies Primorsky, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Khabarovsk and Magadan.

1941: The Allied powers incite a revolution in Paris and power over the occupied zone is taken by the allies. Vichy France is invaded shortly after. Italy defects from the Axis and joins the Allies. Germany sends most of its forces to the western front and makes an uneasy armistice with the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation removes its troops from the west and focuses on Japan.

1943: The Russian Federation takes back the occupied areas of their territory and invades Manchuria and Korea. At the same time, the United States, retaliating to an attack on American holdings in 1942 by the Japanese Empire uses its naval power to liberate areas in southeast Asia.

1944: Following the liberation of Manchuria and Korea, the Russian Federation prepares to invade Japan. They begin the invasion in July, beginning with Hokkaido and have taken most northern territories by the end of the year. America liberates all of southeast Asia around this time and sends aid to their Russian allies.

August 1945: Russia takes Tokyo and the Japanese Empire surrenders. Earlier, in the same year, Germany surrenders. The Second World War ends.

1947: Korea and Mongolia are granted independence by the Russian Federation. Shortly after, the United States grants the territories in southeast Asia independence. However, Japan remains occupied by Russia, with the exception of Kyushu and Shikoku, which are occupied by the United States.

1949: The Russian Federation and the United States, both tired from the Second World War, decide to watch from the sidelines as the Communist Party takes power in China, much to their chagrin.

1950: Occupied Japan is officially incorporated into the Russian Federation as the Autonomous Republic of Japan.

1953: Southern areas of Japan previously occupied by the United States are granted independence.

1961: The Russian occupied area of East Germany is reunified with West Germany.

1987: The United States supports a group of southern Japanese militants in taking Honshu back from the Russians. Hokkaido then declares independence and secedes to the southern provisional government.

January 13th 1990: The Independent Japanese Federation is founded, with Japanese (70%), Russian (20%) and English (10%) as its official languages. Russia, despite its obvious chagrin on the matter, decides to remain neutral on the matter.

1995: The IJF and the USA make an economic and military alliance and the Japan Self Defense Forces are founded.

2014: Present day.
[/quote]
Some information about the wonderous IJF:
[quote]
[u]Capital:[/u] Tokyo
[u]Official Languages:[/u] Japanese (70% of the population native speakers, spoken mainly Honshu and Shikoku and the rest of the country), Russian (20% native speakers, spoken in Hokkaido and most northern regions. Was the sole official language until 1990) and English (10% native speakers, spoken mostly in Kyushu and other southern regions)
[u]Government:[/u] Parliamentary Republic
[u]Currency:[/u] Yen

The IJF is divided up into multiple Republics, which are the following;
-Hokkaido
-Tohoku
-Kanto
-Chubu
-Kansai
-Chugoku
-Shikoku
-Kyushu
-Okinawa

Aside from this, there is also the Federated City of Tokyo and the Southern Islands District (including Tanegashima and Fukue-jima, among others). Each Republic is independently-governed, though they also answer to the National Diet of Japan.
Other than its alternate history status and aforementioned differences (languages and thus cultures depending on area), the IJF is very close to our own world's Japan in terms of technology and daily life. See internet information for these kinds of things).
[/quote]
By now, you may be wondering why I've chosen to have this take place in an alternate version of Japan and not just normal Japan. Really, it's only for reasons of character diversity and to give a bit more interesting background so this RP isn't just a Persona wannabe.

Now then, here's some more information regarding the setting of the RP. It takes place in the Southern Islands District, on the island of Tanegashima, which, as part of an Japanese-American funded project in 1980, was connected to Kyushu by an over-water railway system (which was later connected to the countrywide railway system after the IJF became independent). At the end of the line is New Harumi City, of which modernization and construction began in 1979 and was finished in 2004. In terms of architecture, technology and standards of living, it is similar to Tatsumi Port Island of Persona 3. Unlike other areas of southern Japan, only Japanese is primarily spoken there, much like any city from before the war, with English and Russian being kept to schools. 

No one knows the reason behind the construction of the city, but its high standards of living and calm yet modern atmosphere quickly brought in new population. Most teenage students in the city go to Shirasagi High, which applies to our characters.
Regarding our characters, they don't seem to have much in common, but a common struggle, pertaining to the title of this RP will pull them together...

And that's all for now. If you wish for more elaboration on a certain subject, feel free to shoot it or any suggestions my way and I'll be happy to answer them.

[b]EDIT: KEEP IN MIND THIS IS ALL TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON SUGGESTIONS. NONE OF IT IS DEFINITIVE FOR THE TIME BEING![/b]