The Twenty-One Demands were divided into five groups:
* Group I: These demands related to the transfer of German-controlled territory in Shandong to Japan.
* Group II: These demands related to the expansion of Japanese economic and political influence in Manchuria and Inner Mongolia.
* Group III: These demands related to the granting of special privileges to Japanese citizens in China.
* Group IV: These demands related to the establishment of a joint Sino-Japanese police force in China.
* Group V: These demands related to the revision of China's tariff laws in favor of Japanese goods.
The Twenty-One Demands were met with outrage in China. The Chinese government refused to accept most of the demands, and the negotiations eventually broke down. The Twenty-One Demands led to an increase in anti-Japanese sentiment in China and contributed to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.