Based on what little we know, I would piece this together for a back story, and starting point for fanfiction:
There was a cataclysmic event a long time ago (maybe centuries) that ended the world as we know it. Civilization is slowly rebuilding itself, not just technologically, but socially. The remnants of humanity have come out of a despotic system to something akin to feudalism. There is also evidence of late medieval technology being rediscovered. (Windmills, sophisticated blacksmithing, architecture, etc.)
The game would take place on the fringe of human settlement, explaining the desolate, barren landscape. The characters are outlaws, frontiersmen, travelers, refugees, prospectors, etc. They set out to make a living away from the centers of power. Naturally, some will try to become powerful and establish their own fiefdoms. This would explain the roving bands, warring factions and mad max like atmosphere.
It gets interesting where the frontier is getting too crowded, and soon you have the biggest groups vying for power, so that things enter something reminiscent of the Warring States period in Chinese history, or the similar Sengoku Jidai period of Japan.
As to the Asian motifs, I have two theories:
1: The game takes place somewhere in Asia and coolie hats and katanas have survived the end of the world and continued to the present.
2: It take place somewhere outside of Asia where Chinese/Japanese inspired fashion was a huge trend around the same time the world ended, and was the last thing people remembered. Therefore, they forged katanas, sandals and straw hats instead of more European based items.
Or I could be wrong about all this and there's an incredibly detailed lore and back story that's waiting to come out when the game is more finished
If you think I made a good educated guess though, there's some interesting directions you could take Kenshi fanfiction.
*A character who starts out a nobody and goes on a journey to found his own house and become a lord.
*A character who puts together a band of warriors in search of a relic from the pre-Apocalypse.
*A lone ranger character who just wants to protect his small village from bandits (think the Seven Samurai film by Akira Kurosawa or Yojimbo)
*Maybe the character is a warlord who wants to build a crime syndicate or gang from the ground up and rule over all the other gangs.
I also recommend the classic Chinese novels Outlaws of the Marsh, Journey to the West and Three Kingdoms for inspiration. And Fist of the North Star if you're an anime fan
and am looking for ways to pass the time between updates.
....to....wait what was I saying. 